Staff

Our small but mighty team

River City Food Bank is a grass-roots community effort, but these professionals make sure that our program is run with integrity and efficiency.

Amanda McCarthy, Executive Director

 With a passion to build healthy communities, Amanda began her professional career working for a food bank in Seattle, Washington. What started as a position in program management, quickly grew into a lifelong passion for hunger relief and social justice. Amanda has experience developing programs, leading operations, and building collaborative relationships to increase awareness and achieve goals for food banks and nonprofit organizations. Committed to alleviating hunger in Sacramento County, she will work to advance River City Food Bank’s mission through continued focus on providing emergency food and resources for families and individuals needing assistance.

Contact Amanda at

Erika Fatula, Director of Fund Development

Growing up in poverty on the east coast, Erika developed a deep passion for helping others struggling to get back on their feet, and experienced firsthand how compassion and kindness transforms lives. After receiving her Masters degree in clinical psychology from Rutgers University, Erika made the move to Sacramento, starting a career in the human services field. As Director of Fund Development, Erika manages all fundraising, marketing and communication efforts to ensure that we can effectively serve our neighbors in need and fulfill our mission to alleviate hunger in our community.

Contact Erika at

Paula Jenkins, Operations Administrator

Paula started with River City Food Bank in 2010 shortly after the fire destroyed our location on 27th Street.  She started as an Administrative Assistant and has moved into the position of our Operations Administrator, providing support to the operations of our Midtown location. In addition, she oversees the financial and personnel responsibilities of both locations of our food bank. She is frequently referred to as our “Computer Whisperer” and is the go-to person for troubleshooting equipment issues, building maintenance and ordering office supplies. Paula believes that everyone brings something unique to the table and values helping others. She believes in the core values that are practiced by River City Food Bank staff and volunteers…Dignity, Understanding, Mutual Respect, Health and the ability to receive nutritious food as a basic human need… Because no one should be hungry.

Contact Paula at

Jena Robinson, Operations Director

Jena Robinson came to River City Food Bank through the Lutheran Episcopal Volunteer Network (LEVN). Since graduating from Auburn University in 2009, she has worked for numerous non-profits fulfilling her passion to help marginalized people. Her passion for food justice started as a little seed in an urban garden in Nashville, TN and has grown to managing food programs, volunteers, food drives and more at River City Food Bank.

Contact Jena at

Amy Dierlam, CalFresh Outreach Director

Amy has strong roots in social service, a background that helps her to be especially sensitive and helpful to people needing CalFresh assistance. Before coming to Sacramento, she was a social worker for a foster care agency in Butte County, and then transitioned to work for the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, coordinating youth and young adult ministry. Amy volunteered at the River City Food Bank intake desk for a year before accepting the CalFresh outreach assistant position in the summer of 2011.

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Mila Benson, Volunteer Coordinator

Mila’s passion for working with volunteers comes from her background in volunteer outreach, her degree in communication, and her two years serving as an AmeriCorps member. She believes that everyone deserves access to healthy, nutritious food and as the Volunteer Coordinator, she looks forward to leading volunteers and growing the volunteer program to continue best serving the community and working toward that mission. In her spare time, you can find her outside hiking, camping, and exploring Northern California.

Contact Mila at

Fred Gorsira, Operations Coordinator

Fred found his way to River City Food Bank after years of living in the Bay Area and running his own business in the legal field. His passion is to help those less fortunate, and he feels privileged to work alongside staff who give so much to making a difference in so many lives. “It feels good to be of service to our community.” Outside of work, his focus is to raise his daughter with the same sense of compassion and giving back.

Brandon Ralph, Operations Coordinator

Brandon is originally from Southern California and has a professional background in management in the skilled trade and floral industries. He is passionate about helping those in need and enjoys working in a position that helps provide food security to so many families. Outside of work, Brandon is an avid reader and an enthusiastic fan of live music.

Thomas Pearson, Operations Assistant

Thomas Pearson is originally from Paterson, New Jersey and has worked for non-profits for over 20 years. He is passionate about helping people in any and all ways possible. Thomas also enjoys golfing, writing and working out. He spends his spare time with family and friends. One day he wishes to establish two separate businesses, one profit and one non-profit. In the meantime, RCFB is a great company to work with.

Denver Symister, Operations Assistant

Denver Symister is the Program and Operations Assistant at River City Food Bank. He has been with the organization since 2015, and is committed to helping RCFB become more successful in its endeavors to provide more compassionate and dignified assistance to people in need. Originally from the United Kingdom, he now resides in Sacramento, California.

Donnie Salgado, Operations Assistant

Donnie Salgado is originally from Salinas, CA. He came to RCFB from Goodwill, a partner of River City Food Bank. Donnie enjoys the physical aspects of his position as well as driving. In his spare time Donnie likes to work out and play sports.

Hikmatullah Karimi, Operations Assistant

Karimi was born and grew up in the Middle East where he received his Associates degree in Computer Science from Pakistan and BA in Business Administration from Afghanistan. Karimi and his family moved to the U.S. in 2017 and comes to us with years of experience in shipping and managing in the food service industry. In addition to his experience and passion for the mission, he is fluent in six languages, which is critical in serving diverse refugee families in need at our Arden-Arcade site, the Center for St. Matthew’s.

Josh Frazier, Operations Assistant

Born and raised in the Central Valley, Josh has observed both the abundance of an agricultural epicenter alongside poverty and hunger due to lack of accessibility. He hopes to bridge the gap and help people connect to the food and resources they need here in Sacramento. After volunteering at River City Food Bank amidst the pandemic, Josh is thrilled to join the team!