By Jason McKinney, Truffle Shuffle founder

I am the founder of Truffle Shuffle, an Oaklandbased business that connects people across the country through food. But long before I founded Truffle Shuffle, I was, simply put, a kid who knew all too well the feeling of hunger pains that lasted for days.

If you met my family in 2007, you would have thought we had it all together. My dad ran a massive company; my mom stayed home to make sure us kids had what we needed. The biggest problem we had was, well, me. I was always in trouble at school, at times with the law. Most of my family’s concerns were whether or not I would ever figure it out.

When the economy came crashing down in 2008, my dad had to let go of 287 employees and began to spiral. He had always battled addiction, and the more he tried to hold everything together the more things fell apart. He eventually left us with a foreclosure notice on the door.

When my mom got a job washing dogs at a pet hotel and boarding facility, I knew I had to do something. I got a job cooking breakfast in the mornings and started going to alternative school at night.

While working one day, my mom called and told me she had received a donation of food. It was the day before my 17th birthday. That donation included cupcake mix, which my mom used to make me a birthday cake. It was then that I promised myself one day, I too would give back to people in need.

After the pandemic lockdowns went into effect in 2020, Truffle Shuffle pivoted to virtual cooking classes. As the business took off, I wanted to make sure we were giving back. That’s when I found the Food Bank.

Truffle Shuffle donates a meal to ACCFB for every single ingredient kit we sell, and has proudly contributed over 100,000 nutritious meals to-date. This has been a cause that our whole company has rallied around. Our monthly volunteer days have also been a powerful way to come together.

We are so proud to partner with ACCFB. I know that together, we can continue to connect the world through food, making a difference in the lives of people in our community and beyond.

Read more in our Spring 2022 Community Harvest.