Open Heart Kitchen (OHK) is preparing to launch its new food bank program in just a few weeks, but for Executive Director John Bost, the grand opening can’t come soon enough.
“It’s been a very exciting time and we’re excited to get things going,” said Bost, whose group serves free nutritious meals to those in need. “This has been a long time coming.”
The 19,000-square-foot warehouse facility in Livermore is a collaboration between the c (ACFB) and Open Heart; a partnership that began in 2022 when OHK was selected to become a branch of the ACFB in eastern Alameda County. The idea behind the program is to create a redistribution organization that distributes large amounts of food to people and local organizations more quickly and efficiently.
The food bank will serve as a local distribution center for other food banks and nonprofits in the area to better serve their existing clientele by allowing these groups to pick up and deliver boxes of fresh vegetables, fruits and veggies to those in need. Open Heart’s new facility will not be open to the public.
“There are organizations that already have relationships with ACFB, and Open Heart Kitchen will just expand those relationships,” Bost said. “We’re a tighter cog in the wheel as far as getting supplies to people here, so they don’t have to wait as long to get what they need.”
The $3.2 million project is funded with support from ACFB and other donors and will deliver over 3 million pounds of food to area organizations over the next three to five years. OHK currently distributes nearly one million pounds of food annually.
Tri-Valley Haven, an organization that helps victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and homelessness in the area, will be one of the groups benefitting from the food bank.
“The Open Heart Kitchen Food Hub will allow Tri-Valley Haven’s food bank to receive food locally and more efficiently,” said Christine Dillman, executive director of Tri-Valley Haven. “The new food hub will help Tri-Valley Haven continue to support these families by providing healthy food, but also a selection of culturally appropriate foods.”
Bost agreed that running a food bank is about more than just making sure people have something to eat, especially in a multicultural region like the Tri-Valley Area.
“Food is home and food is health,” Bost said. “But we also try to be culturally sensitive to people who want food that is not only good for them, but something they want and that is familiar and comfortable. For example, if someone asks for tomatillos, we want to be able to provide that.”
Items for the food bank will come from a variety of sources, Bost said, including the ACFB and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which makes major contributions to food banks across the country.
“The sauce is made from products sourced from different locations,” says Bost, and that is crucial to meeting the region’s demand; a demand that continues to grow.
Before the COVID pandemic, the ACFB distributed 38 million pounds of food per year across the county. After COVID, Bost said the numbers have increased to 50 million pounds per year.
“Ultimately, we’re trying to take these actions so that people no longer need our services,” Bost said. “If you can provide food to a family so they don’t have to choose between paying for child care or utilities, that’s equity, that’s good. Every investment we make in a family and an individual can somehow help break that cycle of poverty.”
