About Us

River City Food Bank alleviates hunger in Sacramento County by providing healthy, nutritious food to anyone in need. In 2021, we provided 2,180,109 pounds of healthy food to 206,523 people facing hunger.

OUR MISSION

River City Food Bank’s (RCFB) mission is to alleviate hunger in Sacramento County by providing healthy, emergency food and other assistance, offering referrals and promoting self-sufficiency through a variety of support services.

RCFB helps people avoid a crisis and work toward self-reliance by providing a short-term food supply when they are unable to meet basic living expenses. Our programs serve low-income families, children, seniors, individuals who are medically fragile, refugees/asylum-seekers, individuals experiencing homelessness, the working poor and individuals with disabilities. RCFB serves all people experiencing food insecurity regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age and background in Sacramento County (no zip code restrictions). In 2021, RCFB served more than 2.2 million pounds of food to 206,523 people facing hunger.

OUR HISTORY

Created by the community for the community in 1968, River City Food Bank began as River City Community Services, originally located at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in downtown Sacramento. In 1981, the food bank moved to 1322 27th Street.

On October 21, 2010, one of a string of arson fires destroyed the 27th Street building. Despite losing its home and everything in it, the food bank continued to serve. With community support and temporary access to retail space provided by Sutter Medical Center, River City Food Bank operated while raising enough funds to purchase a new home located at our current location, 1800 28th Street in Sacramento.

For more than 50 years, River City Food Bank has been providing health and hope to our neighbors facing hunger. Our philosophy has and will always be that “No one should be hungry.”

River City Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) organization. Tax ID is 91-1851398

OUR UNIQUE APPROACH

Our work to alleviate hunger happens throughout the County so that we can support under-served populations by making healthy food accessible to all families facing hunger.

Some of the things that make River City Food Bank unique include:

• Helping anyone experiencing food insecurity in Sacramento County (no zip code requirements)
• Providing a low-barrier intake process (no IDs or proof of income required)
• Hosting a Choice Distribution Model featuring healthy options (50% fresh produce)
• Acting as a safety net provider (playing a critical role to keep families and individuals from emergencies, including homelessness)

RCFB’s core values include dignity, compassion, respect, health and nutrition. These guide our work to alleviate hunger and advance racial equity.

OUR VOLUNTEERS

In 2021, despite the uncertainties of the pandemic, volunteers donated an incredible 22,561 hours to ensure that their neighbors facing hunger has access to healthy, nutritious food.

River City Food Bank truly could not fulfill its mission without the dedication, hard work, commitment and passion of volunteers. Each day, they go above and beyond to serve our community, live our core values and bring our mission to life.

To everyone who has ever volunteered with us- Thank you for showing up with a smile on your face and love in your hearts. You have made a difference.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities or schedule a volunteer shift, click here.