Who We Serve / Food Distribution Program/ Retail Store Pick Up Program

The Second Harvest Food Bank serving Riverside and San Bernardino Counties helps end local hunger throughout Riverside and San Bernardino Counties by working with over 440 charitable distribution sites to regularly provide food to anyone in need. Established in 1980, the food bank distributes over 21 million pounds of donated food each year through our regional network of charities to help feed over 250,000 people each month. SHFB does not provide direct assistance to individuals or families, but relies upon charitable, 501 (c) 3 agencies to provide direct assistance.

Through this collaborative effort, food manufacturers, distributors, retailers, brokers and farmers in the two county area donate product of all types, which is then distributed to a network of charitable agencies. The donated food is usually unmarketable (e.g. dented cans, mislabeled product), yet is safe and nutritious. The food bank transports all of these donations from the various donor locations to our warehouse where the product is sorted, inventoried, and made ready for distribution. This part of our program is the primary focus of all food bank activities.

Each week, Second Harvest Food Bank and participating member agencies visit local retail outlets to pick up surplus foods such as fresh meats and produce, dairy items, baked goods and nonperishable canned goods. The food donations are then distributed through Second Harvest’s network of nonprofit member agencies.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP, USDA)

TEFAP is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of low-income needy persons. Administered under a grant from California Department of Social Services, this program provides USDA commodities to those who meet the current income requirements as posted. SHFB distributes USDA products throughout Riverside County through 50 distribution sites.

Senior Citizen Programs

The Senior Citizen Programs are designed to provide nutritional support to almost 4,000 seniors facing food insecurity in this climate of uncertainty. Food is distributed to 40 locations throughout Western Riverside County in an effort to supplement the food resources of low-income senior citizens. Participants must be pre-approved and pick up their food at the designated location of their choice, and they can have it delivered by volunteers if they are homebound and unable to get to the site.

Banquet Table of Life 

Disaster Response

SHFB is creating a comprehensive Disaster Plan to provide a response in the event of a local disaster, and to develop preparedness procedures for events such as Pandemic Illness, Mass Casualty Incidents (a refinery accident, airplane incident or mass power outages), chemical exposures (terrorism-oriented or other), and natural disasters (earthquake, floods, tornadoes). In the event any support for a disaster is greater than that needed to directly assist disaster victims, SHFB reserves the right to re-allocate that support to ongoing assistance in the above mentioned programs.