Community Food Bank Drought Relief Program | ABC30 Fresno

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By ABC30

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Fresno Co., CA | Download the Community Food Bank Calendar |

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Requirements to Receive Food:
Anyone impacted by the drought from Fresno County can go to any of the giveaways but they need proof they live in Fresno County.

Recipients cannot be receiving disaster food stamps
Recipients cannot live in a shelter that provides food assistance
The food must be for themselves. They cannot sell or barter it
They must write a statement of how they are impacted by the drought
They must self-certify under penalty of perjury that all of the above is true and they are indeed victims of the drought

The food bank will keep a list of names of those who receive food to keep track and avoid abuse. People can only receive food every 2 weeks. Visit www.communityfoodbank.net for more information.
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PRESS RELEASE
August 3, 2009

FRESNO COUNTY, CA – Community Food Bank, in partnership with The Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFAP) and the City of San Joaquin, is hosting a food distribution Tuesday to provide supplemental nutritional assistance to community residents who have been devastated by the impact of the drought. Eligible individuals must demonstrate that they live in Fresno County (e.g. current utility bill, identification card, current utility bill, correspondence from an employer, correspondence from a city, county, state or federal agency). They must also self-certify that they are drought victims, are not currently receiving disaster food stamps, are not receiving regular EFAP assistance, are not living in a shelter that is providing the recipient with food assistance and that they will use the food for personal use and will not sell, trade or give the food away. After providing the required information, eligible individuals will receive enough food to feed each member of their household for two weeks. Due to the volume of food being distributed, individuals are being asked to bring a cart or other means of carrying the food home. For safety purposes, individuals are strongly discouraged from bringing children with them to the distribution.

"Community Food Bank has been working closely with local, regional, state and national officials to draw attention to the dire situation in the county, especially for those communities hardest hit by the drought and unprecedented high unemployment rates. We applaud Governor Schwarzenegger for activating the California Disaster Assistance Act that will provide us with the resources to address the immediate nutritional needs of vulnerable individuals in San Joaquin who are unable to afford healthy food"., said Dana Wilkie, CEO, Community Food Bank.

Tuesday begins a series of bi-weekly food distributions, in targeted communities hardest hit by the drought emergency. The distribution will take place at San Joaquin Veterans Memorial Hall, 22001 W. Manning Avenue. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. and the distribution will begin shortly thereafter. Food will be distributed to eligible individuals on a first come, first served basis.

Through a partnership with 150 agencies, Community Food Bank distributes nutritious food to 70,000 food insecure people weekly. Annually, more than 14 million pounds of food are provided to communities in Kings, Fresno and Madera counties. Community Food Bank supports a variety of hunger and nutrition education programs including the Emergency Food Assistance Program, Food Pantry Distribution, Mobile Pantry/Nutrition on Wheels, Kids Café and Neighborhood Markets.