Food from the Heart

“Sips and Nibbles” was the title of a benefit for Food from the Heart (FFH) – a nonprofit I’d never heard of. Founder Evelyn Jacob informed me, “We have been around for 24 years.” I would soon learn Food from the Heart is all about feeding people.

 We were gathered in the courtyard of El Paseo with wine glasses in hand from three tasting rooms – Grassini, Happy Canyon, and Margerum. There was also delectable donated appetizers from the Wine Cask Restaurant, Renaud’s Patisserie & Bistro, C’est Cheese, and the Chocolate Gallery, plus creations from Food from the Heart’s own professional chef, Aaron Casale.The silent auction was set out doors in the center of the courtyard. About 100 folks were “sipping and nibbling.”

I spoke with Food from the Heart executive director Sharon Byrne, who told me, “The nonprofit serves as a hive of activity for gathering fresh produce and bread around the Santa Barbara and Goleta areas and distributing it to those most in need.”

A volunteer crew along with Chef Aaron prepares high-quality foods: deli salads, casseroles, fruit, bread, and a homemade cake each week. The Trinity Lutheran church lends them their kitchen three days a week. The volunteers make up large bags of food that would cost about $90 each if procured separately. They spend only $30 and deliver to 160 housebound, seriously ill people each week. When FFH began, there were only 25 deliveries.

“It’s a fabulous, heartfelt program,” says board president Kelly Onnen. Most clients are referred from Hospice, Cancer Center of Santa Barbara, Cottage, and Visiting Nurse, but they will accept self-referrals.

FFH is expert at gleaning food from it growing in someone’s back yard, on a tree, or sitting on a bakery shelf. As Sharon said, “A small crew of 12 to 15 volunteers gathers about 50,000 pounds of produce and bread each year with partners like Veggie Rescue. Whatever is not used is then distributed to the Foodbank, Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, the Teddy Bear Foundation, the Rescue Mission, and the Organic Soup Kitchen.

We drank and ate for a good cause. If you would like to know more, call Sharon at (805) 636-0475.