Looking ahead – December is Farm to Food Bank Month

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Fresh produce distributed at the SF-Marin Food Bank. Photo courtesy of the CA Association of Food Banks

Fresh produce distributed at the SF-Marin Food Bank. Photo courtesy of the CA Association of Food Banks

California produces one half of the nation’s fruits, nuts and vegetables and is also the largest dairy producing state. Yet in California, the nation’s largest agricultural producer, one in four children and one in six adults regularly go hungry. Join the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the California Association of Food Banks, and CA Grown in combating hunger. This is why December is ‘Farm to Food Bank Month’. It is an opportunity to not only recognize the great work that is occurring on an ongoing basis – Ag Against Hunger, Hidden Harvest, Young Farmers and Ranchers, and Farm to Family – but also provides a chance for California farm families to give back to their communities. For a look at how this helps needy families, please view a video from our Growing California series at the bottom of this post.

CDFA is working in collaboration with its State Board of Food and Agriculture to try to increase annual farm-to-food bank donations to 200 million pounds by next year.

Help join the cause and participate at our upcoming Farm to Food Bank event on Wednesday, December 3rd from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Second Harvest Food Bank in San Jose. Let’s work to end hunger in California!

For those within the agricultural family, please consider making a product donation or a 2015 future food pledge today – contact Steve Linkhart, California Association of Food Bank at (510) 350-9916.

For our foodie friends and food lovers – tweet, Instagram or Facebook – #CAGrown with a pic of California Grown produce and a pound of food will be donated to a local food bank. A tweet a day is all we ask…

This segment in the Growing California video series, a partnership with California Grown, is “Farm to Family,” a story about farmers working with food banks to help feed the needy.