The Latest News from Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa
Letter from the Executive Directors
We know summer is here as it gets hotter and the hills change color in Contra Costa. Just as the temperatures rise, so has the number of meals Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa (LFCC) is serving. As this letter is written, we’re currently serving more than 2,400 meals/day. Yes, you read that correctly. This is FOUR times as many meals per day as we did before the pandemic.
Summer also means many families have additional struggles to balance during the months while schools are out. One struggle is where kids will get meals that they may have been receiving for free during school hours. LFCC remains a reliable and valuable resource for families and individuals (anyone) to receive a hot and nutritious meal and groceries.
County-wide, more community members than ever before are relying on us for hot meals and groceries. With high inflation and CalFresh food assistance declining, there is a surge in demand for food. Unfortunately, charitable giving has declined in 2022/2023, a drop of 10.5% when adjusted for inflation. The decline comes at a time when many nonprofits such as LFCC are providing services to those in need, and have an increase in demand for help.
This is the new normal we need to navigate and LFCC has implemented a shared leadership model at the Executive Director level to ensure that we are well positioned to address future demand to better serve the community. We are tackling these issues head-on by improving and expanding both our meal program and mobile unit program as well as increasing community awareness.
Looking forward, we have plans to reopen our dining rooms to allow for a hybrid service model accommodating both takeaway and indoor dining. The Pittsburg Dining room will be the first to welcome indoor dining this summer. (More information to follow.) We will continue to refine our culinary curriculum and explore ways to expand the training program. Once our Mobile Delivery Pilot Program is completed, we will add 2-6 more partners for mobile truck service by the end of 2023 to serve hot and nutritious meals to more locations than ever before.
Please consider helping LFCC this summer to keep all our good work going. Please be assured that your donation will be well invested into a program with a strong team behind it that is working to make our community a better place. LFCC Nourishes Lives every day!
Wishing you a happy and healthy summer!
Janette Kennedy,
Executive Director, Development and External Relations
Pam Price-Bergquist,
Interim Executive Director, Internal Operations