After weathering a devastating flood at its main building in 2020 amid a surge in need for the nonprofit’s services during the pandemic, Food for People is entering a new chapter with the upcoming retirement of longtime executive Anne Holcomb, the welcoming of longtime Development Director Carly Robbins to the role and the opening of a new building.
On Sunday, the public is invited to tour the new warehouse facility located at 307 W 14th St. from 1 to 5 p.m.
For 22 years, Holcomb has guided Food for People, aiding in the development of new programs to reach those in need in a vast and diverse community, ranging from the Backpacks for Kids weekend hunger relief program and mobile pantry services for rural areas to free produce markets and an expanded network of food pantries.
“I would like to thank the staff and volunteers and the hundreds of partners both locally and statewide who have shared their resources, compassion and grace over the years in support of our friends and neighbors,” Holcomb said in a news release. “I have found such incredible inspiration from meeting so many people who have shared their stories of how Food for People helped them at a critical time, and how happy they are to be in a position to ‘pay it forward’ as volunteers and donors. This is the spirit that will keep Food for People strong and resilient into the future.”
As the pandemic brought a new wave of community members relying on the nonprofit for a helping hand, rising inflation is doing the same, according to the nonprofit, which serves 12,000 individuals a month through a network of 17 food pantries and other services, including the child and senior nutrition programs.
The official food bank of Humboldt County has also been there when natural disasters have struck the region, including the devastating magnitude 6.4 earthquake on Dec. 20 and New Year’s Day 5.4 that hit the small town of Rio Dell particularly hard.
“As I quickly learned, when I started eight years ago, even among other food banks, Food for People is unique, and I would say, exceptional. Many food banks function solely on a bulk level — collecting, inventorying, and storing food to be distributed to partner agencies,” Robbins said. “The direct distribution of food is typically done by others, but Food for People does it all. We do the typical food banking, providing food to our network of hard-working food pantries and partners, and we also provide direct service with our staff offering one-on-one connections with people, listening to their stories and offering a warm smile with dignity and respect.”
For more information on how to help Food for People, visit its website here.
This article appears in McKinleyville, Inc.?.
