Our friends at the Napa Valley Food Bank are not only contending with the aftermath of the North Bay fires, but they also suffered the unexpected passing of a key operations staff member (prior to the fires). We have been able to lend a hand so they can continue to serve their community.
Our Food Sorting Coordinator, Dan Tagliareni, initially started conducting bi-monthly visits to Napa. He was able to provide much-needed relief by coordinating the sorting and storing of food donations and he helped them move more than 10,000 pounds of food during his visits.
In coming up with a long-term response to help our neighbors to the north, it was decided that we’d continue to process their food donations. However, it made more sense to do so in our warehouse where we have more space and volunteers. This change has allowed us to increase efficiency significantly. Dan shared, “We are learning from each other new and different ways to work with food donations.”
Four months have passed since the fires. The food banking community is a tight one and we are happy to help in times like these. The headlines might have faded, but we know the need for food has not.
