Food for thought

September marks the nation’s 16th annual Hunger Action Month. Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County’s CEO Claudia Bonilla Keller says fall is an ideal time to shine awareness on this issue, as people start thinking about holidays and how to help in the community. Food insecurity predictably spiked during the pandemic but still remains 60% greater than pre-pandemic levels. We talked with Keller about why that is, how Second Harvest distinguishes itself from other food banks and the gifts volunteering might offer your whole family.

What attracted you to Second Harvest?

I came to nonprofit work halfway through my career with a quest to understand why so many children of immigrants, as I am, experience a tough trajectory. I first worked in health care, then education, and came to understand if kids don’t have food in their bellies, they’re not going to learn. Soon after, an opportunity opened at Second Harvest.

Food will never lift anybody out of poverty. But without good food, no one will lift themselves out of poverty. We have a foundational role to play in ensuring everyone has access to a level playing field.

What distinguishes Second Harvest from other food banks?

We’ve implemented a number of innovative programs. We rescue food from supermarkets. That has many dimensions of success – preventing food waste, preventing organic materials from reaching landfills and getting critical food (milk, eggs and lean proteins) to neighbors who need it most. We do 900 pickups a week with our partners. That helps the community and the environment by reducing our carbon footprint. We reach those vulnerable populations – including seniors, children and college students – who are at high risk of food insecurity.

So you’re not just providing food, but quality food.

The pandemic taught us that those most economically vulnerable have some of the worst health outcomes – heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, every chronic disease. That’s often rooted in bad food. We made a deliberate pivot to purchase and source produce, milk, eggs and lean protein rather than relying on donated food. We serve roughly 400,000 people monthly.

How can people help?

Like every nonprofit, we ask for time and treasure. With our partners, we operate a beautiful 40-acre farm in Irvine that urgently needs volunteers to harvest and plant crops. Folks can also assist in our distribution center adjacent to the Great Park.

Would people who aren’t gifted gardeners enjoy the farm?

I have to tell you, it’s such a fantastic experience to be out there. It’s particularly good for kids. My kid thought carrots came from Vons. It’s good for them to understand it’s Mother Earth that gives us food, with a little help from humans, so it’s an education, too.