City of Oakland Hunger Program - Details

The City of Oakland's Hunger Program provides brown bags of emergency food to low income households in the 7 Community Development (CD) Districts of Oakland.

• Cost to CD District residents - free of charge
• Contents - Each bag of groceries contains from 10 to 12 meals, weighs about 15 lbs., and typically includes frozen chicken or turkey, rice, beans, oats, or other staples, canned foods, and fresh produce such as potatoes, onions, carrots, oranges, apples, cabbage, or other seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Frequency - Food distributions occur at least five times per year, usually in September, November, December, March, and June, on the fourth Friday of the month.
• Distribution Flyer - Click here for the most current food distribution flyer.
• Distribution Sites - Food is distributed to the general public through a volunteer network of food pantries, faith-based organizations, and community gruops. These community groups form an organization called the Emergency Food Providers Advisory Committee (EFPAC), which meets monthly and advises the Oakland City Council on matters of food policy. EFPAC also provides community input into the content of the brown bags, ensuring that menus and nutritional values reflect neighborhood concerns. These community groups receive the food, which is delivered in bulk to their sites by the Alameda County Community Food Bank, and package it into individual brown bags for distribution to the public.