Mission

The Berkeley Food Network seeks to end hunger and poor nutrition by using innovative, community-centered solutions to build a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable food system.

History

BFN was founded in 2016 to redesign hunger relief around grassroots partnerships. Before launching, BFN’s founders spent a year listening to community-based organizations in Berkeley and Albany to better understand the local landscape of food insecurity. These relationships laid the groundwork for our impact today; collaborating with partner agencies who are deeply engaged with communities in need to design and deliver services that maximize dignity, respect, and choice for the people we support.

What We Do:

Anchored by our West Berkeley warehouse, our sourcing and distribution programs aim to get high-quality, healthy food to people in need. We operate several direct food assistance programs and serve as a hub for dozens of community-based organizations to shop for food for their pantries and meal programs. Altogether, we support 6,500 community members a week with healthy, no-cost food.