The Inland Empire is home to some of those “most at risk of hunger” in the state of California.
The Inland Empire is home to some of those “most at risk of hunger” in the state of California. Credit: FARSB

Phyllis Kimber Wilcox

The Feeding America Foundation of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties (FARSB), a non-profit organization dedicated to the mission of alleviating hunger in the Inland Empire, has received a generous donation from the Rauch Family Foundation. 

FARSB  expressed profound appreciation to The Rauch Family Foundation for their remarkable generosity, helping to secure the continuity of the food bank’s Grab n’ Go and Nutrition Market Programs across Riverside and San Bernardino Counties throughout the fiscal year 2023-2024.

Feeding the hungry in the inland region

FARSB began feeding the Inland Empire  as Survive Food Banks in 1980 and since then has continued to assist families in need throughout the area. According to FARSB,  the Inland Empire is home to some of those “most at risk of hunger” in the state of California. In this region, more than 800,000 individuals live below the poverty line, with over 400,000 experiencing food insecurity.Those disparities extend to the national level.  Those in poverty in the Inland Empire, when compared with the rest of the America, live in homes which are more likely to be jobless or headed by a single mother or those without a high school degree.  They are also more likely to belong to households which are headed by non-citizens.

Increased poverty 

According to a study by the Public Policy Institute of California,  poverty has increased in CA since the fall of 2020 through the first quarter of 2023, although it is still lower than it was at the beginning of the pandemic. 

While temporary pandemic relief programs reduced poverty in 2021, the end of those programs has seen an increase in poverty, while deep poverty has remained the same. The poverty rate rose from 11.7% in fall 2021 to 13.2% in the first quarter of 2023, according to the California Poverty Measure (CPM), while child poverty jumped from 9.0% in fall 2021 to 13.8% in early 2023

The same study shows that without those temporary programs, poverty in the state would be much worse.

Poverty at all ages would be even higher without the safety net

Partners

FARSB partners with other individuals and community organizations to feed the hungry through food drives, food donations as well as volunteering.  Partners are encouraged to host food drives at work as well as  other events. FARSB  also sponsors programs  such as the Homebound Emergency Relief  Outreach team  to provide access to Calfresh benefits to the homebound individuals such as the elderly or individuals with disabilities.

FARSB also hosts an annual Christmas Can Tree event where community partners gather to create trees from canned food and other items,  the food is given to partners to provide to those in need.  

Mobile Food Pantry

FARSB’s mobile food pantry for seniors, the Senior Mobile Food Pantry Program or SMPP, not only provides food to seniors but also other low food security families regardless of whether or not they have a qualifying senior in the household.For information about  FARSB their programs and how you can help or how you can receive help visit their website or connect with them on social media.