Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino (FARSB) reflects as it concludes the food bank’s 45th year of operating. With rising needs in the Inland Empire (IE), the food bank highlights the vital work it does within the community while bringing attention to the ways the region must focus on addressing major issues within the food system to ensure equitable access to all community members.
“45 years in operation is a wonderful accomplishment, but we recognize that we exist because there is a need, and seeing food insecurity rise is quite sobering. We see a future where all community members are fed adequate meals to sustain an active lifestyle, but as of now, that is still not happening,” said Joanna Solorio, Interim Chief Executive Officer at FARSB. “Food is a right, and we must continue to work with city, county, and state officials to address this issue fully if we want to have sustainable, equitable access to nutritious food for all.” Solorio continued.
With 530,000 food-insecure people in the IE, not everyone is getting the food they need for peak health and to sustain their busy lives as working parents, college students, or developing children. The food bank serves an average of 300,000 people each month; however, with an existing gap and an increase in need, there is clear cause for action to boost food security for families.
FARSB operates alongside nearly 250 community partners to serve Riverside and San Bernardino counties and has seen a significant increase in need in both areas over the past few years, with funding cuts, social program changes, and rising cost-of-living all exacerbating the issue. This rise signifies the current need for food banks, while highlighting the unfortunate reality of growing hunger and food insecurity within the region.
For more information about FARSB’s hunger-relief efforts, please visit www.FeedingIE.org
For more information about our accomplishments during our time, please visit: FARSB's 45th Year Comes to a Close
Photo Credits: Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino
About Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino
Feeding America Riverside | San Bernardino (FARSB) is leading the fight against hunger in the Inland Empire by providing food access, emergency relief, education, and advocacy to families in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. FARSB opened in 1980 as Survive Food Bank in response to the increasing concern about the dual problems of hunger and food waste in the Inland Empire. Today, FARSB is the primary food source for nearly 250 local nonprofit organizations, distributing over 3.1 million pounds of food monthly to emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, high-need elementary schools, senior centers, after-school programs, and more. With the help of these community partners, they make up the largest hunger-relief organization serving Riverside and San Bernardino Counties, ultimately making food security a reality for
Contact:
Rachel Bonilla
951-359-4757 ext. 117
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