In the heart of the Central Valley, where agriculture feeds much of the nation, hunger remains an urgent and often unseen issue. The Central California Food Bank (CCFB) has been working tirelessly to change that. Founded in 1992, CCFB is the region’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated solely to ending hunger. Its mission, to transform lives together in the passionate pursuit to end hunger, one meal, one neighbor, one community at a time, guides every program and partnership across Fresno, Madera, Tulare, Kings, and Kern Counties.
Through a network of more than 280 member partners, including schools, churches, and community organizations, the Food Bank distributes millions of pounds of nutritious food each year to neighbors in need. In the past year alone, nearly 60 million pounds of food were distributed, serving more than 320,000 people each month, including over 100,000 children. That level of need reflects a sobering reality: in Central California, one in four adults and one in three children experience food insecurity.
While hunger is sometimes associated only with unemployment or poverty, the Food Bank’s staff says the reality is far more complex. Many working families, seniors on fixed incomes, and even farmworker households struggle to put food on the table. The recent government shutdown only deepened this challenge, as many federal workers temporarily found themselves in need of assistance; a reminder that food insecurity can affect anyone.
Still, amid great need, there is also great hope. The Food Bank has developed creative programs to make food access easier and more dignified. The First Fruits Market, Fresno’s first free grocery store, welcomes more than 600 families each week to choose their own groceries in a welcoming setting.
Groceries2Go, an appointment-based program at nine sites, offers quick and convenient pre-packed groceries, recently doubling its capacity to meet demand. The organization also partners with schools through School Pantries and a Backpack Program, ensuring that children facing chronic hunger have access to food in a safe and discreet way.
Beyond food, CCFB collaborates with community initiatives like Fresno Health Zones to connect neighbors to health and social services, and runs programs supporting both seniors and families with infants. Each effort works toward the same goal: strengthening families and communities through nourishment and compassion…