Obtaining fresh fruits and vegetables no longer a money issue for Merced food pantries

Local food pantries and individuals needing food assistance now have greater access to fresh fruits and vegetables – at no cost.

The Merced County Food Bank recently developed methods to improve the flow of fresh produce to pantries and residents in need, said Bill Gibbs, executive director.

“All produce is completely free now,” Gibbs said. “We don’t want to throw anything away.”

Since being hired by the food bank in February, Gibbs said, he has reached out to the community to recruit more donors and, as a result, the organization has seen an influx of produce being offered by local farms and even from residents who have extra fruit from their own trees. The nonprofit also has continued to benefit from its Feeding America Partners, including Walmart, Target and Food for Less.

With so many fruits and vegetables coming in, Gibbs needed to find a way to distribute all the produce before it spoiled. So he decided to lift every barrier, including cost.

“We had so much,” Gibbs said. “We’re in the business of feeding people, so let’s do that.”

Charlie Crandall, an elder for Merced Bethel Church, said the church needs produce a lot of the time, and now that it’s free, it helps cut down on spending.

“Every little bit helps when you’re at a church and nonprofit,” Crandall said. “The less money spent on food, the more money is spent on outreach. It lets us help more people.”

Crandall said he goes to the food bank at 2000 W. Olive Ave. twice a week and has noticed more people coming in.

“They have all kinds of produce,” Crandall said. “I definitely think it’s making a difference for the community in general.”

The produce available varies on a day-to-day basis, Gibbs said, and whatever is on hand is given away. For example last week, Gibbs said, the food bank received dozens of tomato boxes, and people were leaving with boxes and bags of tomatoes.

“They’ve been really good with produce at the food bank,” said Robert McCune, founder of the food pantry at the Apostolic Tabernacle church. “Last week, we got cases and cases of tomatoes.”

Although McCune said his church has been receiving more produce, such as celery and grapes, it mainly sticks with dry food because the church’s capacity to refrigerate produce is limited.

McCune said he goes to the Merced County Food Bank on a weekly basis, and Apostolic Tabernacle has doubled its giveaway since the change at the food bank.

Produce used to only be sold to food pantries, but now it’s going out to everyone coming through the door, Gibbs said.

Even though the food bank dropped its per-pound fee from 19 cents to 17.5 cents over the summer, distribution of fruits and vegetables continued to have challenges because they tend to be heavier than other items, Gibbs said. Making those expense-free can help provide pantries with more of the high-nutrition foods they seek.

“We almost eliminated waste completely,” Gibbs said.

Before the decision to start giving out excess produce, waste percentages were 12 to 15 percent, Gibbs said. Now they’re closer to 3 or 4 percent.

“Sometimes, we get a lot of one product that expires in three to four days,” Gibbs said.

By giving away excess produce, the food bank and other groups are able to put food directly into the hands of hungry people, Gibbs said. The produce also is distributed to programs such as the Senior Bag Program and the Drought Relief Program food boxes.

“It’s a win-win for everybody,” Gibbs said.

Crandall said he was surprised to learn produce was now cost-free because he has never known the food bank to have produce in the 15 years the church has worked with the organization.

“Every little bit helps,” Crandall said. “When the food bank takes less money, we can spend that somewhere else.”

Shawn Moore, warehouse employee at the Merced County Food Bank, said he has seen more people coming in every day and leaving with fresh produce.

“I think it helps a lot for veterans, the disabled and homeless,” Moore said. They come in and tell me how, after paying for rent, utilities and bills, they have no money left for food, he said.

“We’re more than happy to give them food,” Moore said. “It gets more nutritional food in their hands.”

Kurt Perry, food pantry organizer for First Church of the Nazarene in Atwater, said the free fruits and vegetables help out his church a lot because it used to rely on grocery stores for produce. It was harder to work with the stores, Perry said, and now the church can go directly through the food bank.

“We don’t have to do as much legwork as before,” Perry said. “It really helps because they usually have quite a bit of stuff we can get.”

The task of buying food with a limited budget, Perry said, can be difficult, and being able to obtain free fresh produce regularly allows cutting back on things such as canned food and replacing them with fresh produce.

“They do a real good job down there, and lately it’s been really good,” Perry said. “It’s been a big blessing.”

Tim Adams, program manager for the Merced County Rescue Mission, said he goes to the food bank every Friday for produce and has been able to make salads with the romaine lettuce and kale he’s picked up.

Adams credited Gibbs for lowering costs and allowing the mission access to the free produce.

“We’re in a better place and able to get what we need,” Adams said. “There’s healthier food for people now.”

This story was originally published October 6, 2016 at 4:48 PM with the headline "Obtaining fresh fruits and vegetables no longer a money issue for Merced food pantries."