Alameda County Community Food Bank

Need Food?

Food Helpline:

Call the Food Bank's Food Helpline at 1-800-870-3663 (FOOD) for emergency food referrals. Helpline Hours: Monday - Friday, 9 am - 12 pm and 1 pm - 4 pm
Call the Food Helpline for a free referral to a nearby soup kitchen or food pantry, and for food program information including summer lunch, school meals, food stamps, Meals on Wheels, WIC (Women, Infants and Children), and USDA food.
Or email the Food Helpline with your name, street address, and zip code. A hotline operator will contact you by email the next business day.

The Food Bank also operates a Holiday Hotline in November and December for referrals to holiday food programs.

Free Food:

Click for a list of free meal sites in Alameda County (50k .pdf* file).

Click for a list of food pantry sites in Alameda County (70k .pdf* file).

Free Summer Lunch Program

This summer, over 140 school and community sites throughout Alameda County are providing a free summer lunch to children and teenagers 18 years and younger, regardless of their family income. No registration or paperwork is required – children who show up will be served a nutritious and delicious lunch.
To find a nearby site, click here or call the Food Bank’s toll-free Food Helpline, 800-870-FOOD (3663), enter a zip code and you will be directed to a summer lunch site in your area. Additional information and a list of sites are also available at www.summerlunch.org.

Pantry Program:

Through this program, eligible volunteers can receive a bag filled with 15 pounds of groceries if they work a 3 hour shift, with a maximum of three bags per week.

Type of work: Food sorting or office work at the Food Bank. See Volunteer Opportunities

Eligibility: Income level and household size determine eligibility. Only one bag per household is allowed.

Sign up for a shift: Call the Volunteer Manager at (510) 635 3663 x 308.

Food Stamps:

Check your eligibility for the Food Stamp Program by completing a five-minute, online pre-screening tool.
Food Bank staff are also available to pre-screen people for food stamp eligibility. They can mail you a food stamp application to your home and help you through the application process. Call 1-800-870-3663 today!

You can also attend a free Food Stamp Enrollment Workshop at the Food Bank office. Workshops are held monthly on the last Monday (morning) and Friday (afternoon) of each month. Bilingual Food Bank staff will be available to help you complete the food stamp application and will submit it to the food stamp office. See the calendar of upcoming Food Stamp Enrollment Workshops.

* These documents are .pdf (Portable Document Format) files and require Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you need to download the reader please use the link below.