Foodbank Launches Chef’s Kitchen

The coronavirus pandemic has stretched many local charitable organizations to the limit, particularly the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.

“The need we are seeing now is unlike anything we’ve witnessed before,” says CEO Erik Talkin.”This disaster affecting everyone in the county, and the world, at exactly the same time is unprecedented. And the precipitous job loss is unmatched in history.

“Hunger is a daily disaster for those who face it every day. When the stay-at-home orders and concurrent business closures came down, those who lived paycheck to paycheck faced hunger immediately.

“At this point, even those who had some savings now find themselves with no financial resources whatsoever. There couldn’t be a worse time for the community to find itself unable to eat healthfully, just when our immune systems need to be at their strongest.”

Normally the Foodbank, which works with a number of local organizations, including The Salvation Army, United Boys & Girls Clubs, and Catholic Charities, serves 55,000 unduplicated individuals, but is now dealing with an astronomical 85,000.

The organization is now also piloting a new program designed to provide prepared meals to seniors, while also helping local restaurants, particularly hard hit by the current situation.

The program, dubbed Chef’s Kitchen, was launched with a trial distribution with the Foodbank delivering 1,000 meals from culinary wizards at Acme Hospitality, owners of The Lark, Loquita, Paradise Cafe, and Tyger Tyger.

While the goal of the program is to deliver prepared meals to the elderly, in the pilot run meals were also provided to community members at the Foodbank’s SAFE Food Net drive-thru distributions at two Santa Barbara area Boys & Girls Clubs and the Salvation Army as a first test of the non-profit’s operational logistics.

“The beauty of a program like this is that everyone wins,” adds Erik. “Yes, food insecure seniors get gourmet meals. And yes, restaurants and chefs have a new avenue to help keep their businesses going.

“On top of that, community members who contribute to the program know that funds they donate are helping many people at once. Those without enough to eat at home, and also beloved local businesses and their employees as well.”