SF-Marin food bank director talks massive closures, holiday needs

A few years after one of the largest food banks in the Bay Area opened 21 pop-up food pantries in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the pantries are shutting down for good.

Tanis Crosby, executive director of the food bank, said the announcement of the pop-up pantry closures has come early to give people time to prepare: Waitlists at pantries will be longer, and some people will lose access to these services.

The majority of funding for the pandemic response programs, which includes the pop-up pantries, is provided through a contract with the San Francisco Human Services Agency, Keely Hopkins, the food bank’s senior communications manager, said in an email to SFGATE. The contract has been reduced from $10 million in fiscal year 2023 to $6 million in 2024 and then $0 for 2025.

The food bank is also receiving less food from the United States Department of Agriculture: Its take will decline from 23.8 million pounds in the 2021 fiscal year to just 6.5 million pounds of food in the 2023 fiscal year, according to data it provided to SFGATE.

SFGATE talked to Crosby about the food bank’s needs during this holiday season — including the best thing to donate — and how it’s adjusting to the funding cuts. Crosby joined the food bank in 2021 after working for the YWCA, a social justice nonprofit organization, for 20 years. 

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

SFGATE: What is the current state of the SF-Marin food bank?

Tanis Crosby: The food bank is meeting the needs of our community, the urgent needs. We’re seeing continued historic demand. We’re seeing social safety nets that have eroded at all levels. Food banks – often the last line of defense – have experienced a major decline in government funding. 83% of our participants worry about getting enough food and so we know the levels of need remain very high.

SFGATE: What is your personal reaction to the pop-up pantries closing by 2025?

Crosby: I’m concerned about our community participants. I’m concerned about the impact. And I’m resolute in my focus to do all we can to provide critical support.

SFGATE: Will some of the pop-up pantries close before June 2025 or will they all close at once?

Crosby: It will be a gradual transition. We anticipate serving less than 40,000 households when the pop-ups end. That’s about 20% more than pre-pandemic levels. Before the pandemic, we were not able to serve all of the community members that we wanted to and the same thing will be true going forward.

SFGATE: What are the pop-up pantries? 

Crosby: The pop-up pantries were launched at the beginning of the pandemic, in response to almost a third of our community-partner pantries closing almost overnight. We had historic demand. It was a temporary program that has endured and evolved, and we will now be transitioning to close those programs over the next two years.

SFGATE: What struggles has the food bank seen in the last year? What about the last five years?

Crosby: We’re spending about five times more than we did pre-pandemic on food, because of both demand as well as inflation.

SFGATE: How many donations is the food bank receiving on average? 

Crosby: Donations have declined from the heights of the pandemic, and our community is generous. Every donation matters.

We often have donors who will match donations in the holiday periods. So while $1 can make two meals happen, in the holiday period it means four meals, it’s just, it’s such a big help.

SFGATE: What percentage of food comes from straight food donations and what percentage is from buying the food wholesale? Is it more beneficial for community members to donate food or money?

Crosby: It is more beneficial for community members to donate money because we can stretch that dollar very far. We have incredible relationships with farmers with a program called Farm to Family.

SFGATE: And in terms of food, if people are donating food, or items, what’s most needed by the food bank? And does it ever change per month?

Crosby: Right now, we’re really grateful for the support and the community with turkey drives. So right now, we certainly have been welcoming turkeys. Throughout the year, items such as peanut butter are really welcome. But I really want to encourage community members to make the most amount of difference by making a donation: Every dollar matters.

[After the interview, a spokesperson for the food pantry followed up to say that for people who still want to donate food, nonperishable items that aren’t past their “use before” date are preferred. In particular, canned meat, peanut butter, soup, chili, beans, cereal, canned fruit and vegetables, rice, pasta and oats are most needed. The pantry cannot accept any glass containers, opened packages or pet food.] 

SFGATE: As we approach Thanksgiving and the winter holidays, how does that look for the food bank? Is the food bank where it needs to be in terms of donations to meet the local needs of families over the holidays?

Crosby: We are actively fundraising and we hope to meet our goal. It’s early in the campaign. There’s a number of matching donation campaigns between now and the end of the calendar year and that really makes donations have double the impact.

SFGATE: Where will you be spending Thanksgiving this year?

Crosby: I’ll be spending it with my family and I’m grateful. Food is everything. Food means caring, and culture, and connection.