SLO Food Bank Operations
Over the past month, the total amount of households we served at our public food distributions has increased by approximately 37%. The volume of SLO Food Bank-sourced food we have provided to our nonprofit agency partners has increased by approximately 67%. The total pounds of food items we included in our No-Cook Bags has increased by approximately 83% and the number of people coming directly to our warehouse looking for food has increased by approximately 485%.
One month ago, our warehouse had a six-month inventory of food based on normal distributions. Over the past two weeks, that six-month inventory quickly became a seven-week inventory based on current demand. We have significantly increased our food orders to stay ahead of this growing need. Those extra food orders arrived this week, and our staff is working diligently to stay ahead of need.
On March 28, 2020, we entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the County of San Luis Obispo which allows the SLO Food Bank to order additional food with County emergency funds. We greatly appreciate this partnership with the County as a vital component to the sustainability of our mission. The County has also reassigned some of their employees to help us with our surge in operations. Approximately 10% of our workforce is now comprised of these County employees.
During these challenging times, we have four overarching goals as we continue to deliver on our shared mission of serving those in need:
Protect the health and safety of our employees, volunteers, community partners, and clients.
Stay ahead of the growing need for nutritious food by those in need, directly and through our partners.
Maximize our region’s eligibility for disaster reimbursement funds while minimizing the SLO Food Bank’s financial exposure.
Position the SLO Food Bank for long-term compassionate service to our region beyond COVID-19. We look forward to being here with you as long as there are people in need.
SLO Food Bank Safety Precautions
We have been monitoring public health guidance from many official sources, including the County Public Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Based on this guidance, we have implemented significant adjustments to our operations. These measures are already in place for our internal operations:
Every morning we have a daily safety briefing with our staff and volunteers.
Anyone who does not feel well is asked to leave and provided with guidance on the medical assistance and information available to them.
For anyone handling food or working in the warehouse, we require vigilant handwashing, glove and mask wearing, and physical distancing.
We put tape on the floor of our warehouse to help enforce physical spacing.
We enhanced the frequency our facility cleaning regimen. In our warehouse, we use disinfecting solution designed for our food handling environment.
If you would like to review a copy of our daily safety message, please let us know as we would be happy to share it with you. We have forwarded our enhanced safety protocols to the County Public Health Officer.
Home Delivery Survey
"My 93 year old mom is getting a weekly supply of food during her self isolation. Amazing what she receives: fresh fruit, canned fruit, veggies, beans, pasta, sauces, canned soups, just to name a few. I've donated. Thank you to the volunteers who deliver at the door and then call to say it's there." - feedback and photo from a client
We have teamed up with the County of San Luis Obispo to provide a home-delivery grocery program to seniors (65+) and those with at-risk medical conditions. Each delivery will include a box of shelf-stable goods and a bag of fresh produce. If you or anyone you know qualifies as a self-isolated individual, please forward them the survey:
Do You Need Food?
We are looking to add additional locations for our public food distributions. If you or someone you know needs food, please visit our regularly updated Food Locator to find information on scheduled distributions or call us at 805-238-4664.
Do You Want to Help?
With the recent countywide closure of non-essential businesses to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the need for food in our community is greater than ever. That's why we are calling on the community to provide monetary donations to keep food on the table during this crisis.
When you spend a dollar to help provide nutrition to someone in need, that is a kind and compassionate gesture. When you give us that dollar to help provide nutrition to those in need, we turn that one dollar into four dollars’ worth of food. That’s kind, compassionate, and financially advantageous!
Visit our website or click the button below to donate, and help ensure that SLO County residents who are facing economic hardship and hunger get the food they need to stay healthy.
As for donations of food, we ask that you do not send in food donations at this time to avoid nonessential travel.