The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank feeds two counties where extreme wealth and real hunger sit a few blocks apart. It moves about 48 million pounds of food a year, roughly 100,000 meals a day, through more than 450 partner organizations, and runs its own neighborhood pantries on top of that. Tanis Crosby is Executive Director. The Food Bank holds a four-star rating from Charity Navigator and operates from 900 Pennsylvania Avenue in San Francisco.
The Food Bank gathers food at scale from growers, grocers, and donors, then distributes it two ways: through more than 450 partner agencies, and through its own network of neighborhood pantries that hand groceries directly to residents. The direct pantry model is unusual among large food banks and fits a region where many people in need are working adults who cannot reach a daytime distribution.
Fresh produce is a particular focus. The Food Bank moves a large share of fruit and vegetables rather than only shelf-stable food, which is harder logistically but better for the families it serves.
Tanis Crosby serves as Executive Director, having taken the role after the long tenure of predecessor Paul Ash. The leadership transition came as federal food funding faced cuts, putting pressure on a budget that depends heavily on private donations from the Bay Area community.
The service area is the City and County of San Francisco plus Marin County to the north. This is one of the most expensive places to live in the country, and that is exactly the problem: housing costs leave many working households short on food even with steady jobs. Need did not return to pre-pandemic levels after 2021, and the Food Bank has kept distribution elevated.
Yes. The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) and a Feeding America member with a four-star Charity Navigator rating, the highest available. Because so much of its food is donated or bought in bulk, a modest donation translates into a large number of meals.
Giving and volunteering both run through sfmfoodbank.org. The Food Bank relies on private donations for a large share of its budget, so individual gifts carry real weight here. Volunteers sort and pack food and help staff neighborhood pantries.
The SF-Marin Food Bank is the central hunger-relief organization for the Bay Area core, alongside the LA Regional Food Bank in Southern California and Feeding San Diego in the south. Its direct-pantry approach and produce focus set it apart. For anyone in San Francisco or Marin, this is the organization to support.
Food Bank-run pantries hand groceries directly to residents across both counties.
450+ agencies receive food for their own distributions.
A large share of distribution is fruit and vegetables, not just shelf-stable food.
Help signing eligible residents up for federal food benefits.
Sources: San Francisco-Marin Food Bank website (sfmfoodbank.org), Charity Navigator (EIN 94-3041517), and local reporting on the leadership transition and funding pressures. We are not affiliated with San Francisco-Marin Food Bank and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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