AGENDA

Join representatives from small, medium, and large food banks to share best practices for creating and executing a food budget. Compare approaches to forecasting needs, allocating dollars, and stretching budgets when resources are tight. This peer discussion will explore practical strategies and troubleshooting with colleagues facing similar challenges.

Presenters

• Emily Acosta, Produce Sourcing Manager Second Harveset of Silicon Valley

Description

This session provides an overview of our vision for a Hunger Free San Diego, where anyone in need can readily access enough nutritious food. We will explain how the methodology used by the Hunger Coalition to estimate hunger in San Diego County can be used as a model to tackle hunger anywhere in the country, including how we track nutrition insecurity and food assistance meals around the county

The San Diego Hunger Coalition has developed a replicable model for closing meal gaps that combines zip-code-level data with community action. Learn how they pinpoint food insecurity to calculate monthly gaps, then train community members through their Hunger Free Navigator Training™ to help neighbors access resources. Led by Research Manager Joseph Kendrick.

Presenters

• Joseph Kendrick, Research Manager San Diego Hunger Coalition 

Presenters

• Protecting Immigrant Families
• CAFB Advocacy Team

Presenters

• CAFB Advocacy Team
• CA Budget and Policy Advocacy Center 

Presenters

• May Lynn Tan, CAFB Director of Research & Strategic Initiatives 
• Liz Kroboth, CAFB Research & Data Program Manager 

The San Diego Hunger Coalition has developed a replicable model for closing meal gaps that combines zip-code-level data with community action. Learn how they pinpoint food insecurity to calculate monthly gaps, then train community members through their Hunger Free Navigator Training™ to help neighbors access resources. Led by Research Manager Joseph Kendrick.

Presenters

• Joseph Kendrick, Research Manager San Diego Hunger Coalition 
• Alondra Alvarado, President & CEO San Diego Hunger Coalition

Partnering with healthcare organizations to provide Medi-Cal patients with healthy groceries (CalAIM) succeeds when health plans, food banks, suppliers, and patients feel the benefit is worth their effort. This panel will feature diverse viewpoints on demonstrating financial viability and impact for all stakeholders, particularly as the landscape shifts due to ongoing federal policy changes.

Two California food banks share how multilingual community listening revealed insights about food access and service experience—then improved operating hours, line management, culturally relevant food procurement, and service experience. Learn how to design surveys and focus groups that fit your capacity, engage stakeholders, analyze disaggregated data, and translate findings into action. Walk away with templates and tools to use in your communities.

Presenters

Patrick Okoh, Data Analyst Alameda County Community Food Bank

Reah Chiong PhD, Data Analyst Second Harvst Orange County

Tired of walking around looking for pallets, tracking inventory in your head, or wondering where things are? This session breaks down how to "barcode your warehouse." We'll cover common food bank systems (P2, Ceres, NetSuite), what to budget for, and what they change for your team. Leave ready to make your warehouse faster and easier to manage.

Presenters

• Sharon Jacobson, Founder/Consultant SJ Consulting Inc. 

Get answers to your sourcing questions from a panel of agriculture and transportation industry experts. Learn how current challenges—rising costs, labor shortages, transportation logistics, and more—affect food availability and pricing. Understand what growers and distributors face moving product from farm to food bank, and learn how to source food more effectively.

With shifting funding for local food programs, how do we keep small farm partnerships going? Join food banks and aggregators to explore how these partnerships expand community access to fresh, local produce; support local agriculture, and strengthen regional food systems. We’ll share successes, learn what’s working in a Boundless pilot, and refine strategies for sustainability.

Description

Get started with GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to make data-informed decisions that advance hunger relief. Learn core concepts, compare mapping tools, and explore real-world examples that show how spatial analysis improves program design, equitable resource allocation, and storytelling. Leave with practical resources to launch your first mapping project.

Presenters

• Julia Rosales, Data Analyst Alameda County Community Food Bank 

Learn how one food bank has exceeded Hunger Action Month fundraising goals year over year, engaged their community in food system education, and launched new events in partnership with their business community. This session shares what worked in Contra Costa and Solano Counties, including planning, execution, and results. Walk away with ideas to activate your own community, staff, and elected officials.

Presenters

• Hailey Solares, Advocacy & Policy Manager, Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano 

Description

When San Francisco-Marin Food Bank lost pandemic funding, they faced a strategic dilemma: how to sunset their Pop-Up Pantries program without abandoning the staff who built it. Learn how Trauma-Informed principles—transparency, leveling power imbalances, and validating grief—centered human dignity and transformed a funding crisis into a mission-driven moment.

Presenters

• Colby D'Onofrio, Training Specialist Leah's Pantry
• Adam Hoffman, Sneior Program Manager SF Marin Food Bank

Faith-based partners can be powerful advocacy allies, offering both ground-level intelligence and community credibility. Learn how to partner for health equity in ways all faith organizations can get behind, understand practical differences between organizations, and build relationships that strengthen your network. We’ll share real examples from successful partnerships between food banks and faith-based organizations.

School-based service learning can make it easier for families to ask for help when they need it. In this session, we'll share real-world case studies to help you understand if youth engagement makes sense for your food bank, how to coordinate effectively with school systems, and design programs that fit your staffing and budget.

Presenters

Tanuka Gordon, Founder & CEO Mindful Littles

CLBL’s Community Food Program operates the Mobile Farmers Market with a simple goal: bring culturally relevant, local farm-fresh produce directly to neighborhoods with limited access to healthy food. This workshop explores how mobile markets advance food equity while supporting small and beginning farmers. Learn about CLBL’s operational model, EBT/nutrition incentive integration, and community collaboration strategies.

Presenters

• Christopher Gomez Wong, Community Food Program Manager Center for Land-Based Learning

Description

Learn how Universidad Popular in San Diego County organizes neighborhood pantries, food drives, and deliveries; providing culturally responsive foods to families overwhelmed by fear and trauma from immigration enforcement. We'll share practical strategies to build community connections, foster mutualismo, and respond when families need you most.

Presenters

• Arcela Nunez, Co-Director & Cofounder Universidad Popular 

What do you do when there's a food access gap but no existing distribution partners? Learn how Sacramento partnered with two school districts to develop their own food distribution programs, build capacity, and transition to running independently. Share experiences and exchange ideas for applying this Community Growth Model in your region.

Presenters

• Karen Stach, Director of Programs Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services 

California Resiliency Alliance Executive Director Monika Stoeffl shares a catastrophic earthquake scenario to examine how food insecurity evolves when disasters disrupt transportation, utilities, healthcare, and the economy. Explore cascading impacts on supply chains, access barriers, and household stressors. Leave with insights to strengthen your pre-event planning and resilience strategies.

Presenters

• Monika Stoefl, Executive Director CA Resiliency Aliance

California is building a movement to ensure every eligible college student can access CalFresh, and it's working. Hear from statewide panelists about how cultivating trusted, joyful spaces fuels collective action. Learn from River City Food Bank's community college partnerships and the Emergency Food Action Plan that maintained student food access during recent shutdowns. Leave with concrete strategies to build unified partnerships that support your communities.

Presenters

Amy Dierlam, CalFresh Outreach Director River City Food Bank

Aaron Kunst, Co-Director, CalFresh Outreach Cal State Chico