About Us
ExtraFood’s mission is to help end hunger and wasted food in the North Bay. Our food recovery program rescues excess fresh food from businesses, schools, and gardens and immediately delivers it to people in need.
-ExtraFood serves all cities in the North Bay
-Who we rescue food from:
Grocery stores, restaurants, schools, farmers’ markets, farms, caterers/events, bakeries, corporations, congregations, civic organizations, hospitals, and backyard gardens
-Types of food we rescue:
Prepared food, fresh produce, dairy products, eggs, meat, packaged goods, baked goods
-Who we donate to:
Any nonprofit serving vulnerable people in the North Bay, such as after-school programs, senior housing centers, homeless shelters, food pantries, treatment programs
WHY WE DO IT
-1 in 5 people in Marin are food-insecure, in normal times, with the need having skyrocketed during COVID
-More than 10,000 children in Marin live in food-insecure households
-As many as 12,000 seniors in Marin cannot make ends meet
-35% of all food is wasted in the U.S.
-Food is the most plentiful material in landfills
-14% of all freshwater in the U.S. is used to produce our wasted food each year
-Decaying food in landfills releases methane, warming the planet 86x the rate of carbon dioxide
-If global food waste were a country, it would rank 3rd in greenhouse gas emissions after China and the U.S.
-Increasing equitable access to healthy, fresh food enables hungry kids to learn, struggling adults to find jobs, and vulnerable seniors to age in place with dignity
Our Programs
We rescue fresh, excess food from any business or school and immediately deliver it to nonprofit distribution partners, 365 days a year, free of charge. Learn more.
Community Meals donors regularly make a dish for 10-20 people, eg. once per week, and we make sure it gets to people who need it the most. It’s something that’s convenient for our restaurant donors to make — perhaps a little extra of something they’re already making — and we pick it up when it’s convenient for them. Learn more.
Share the Bounty
Volunteers glean or pick up excess fruit and vegetables from backyards, farms, and community gardens. Learn more.
Our Community
Because of the support of our community, ExtraFood will achieve our vision:
A vision of food justice: Everyone in our community should have the food they need
A vision of climate action: Food waste and its massive harm to our planet must end
A vision of community: Food waste and hunger are solvable problems in the North Bay; with this living, growing coalition of people and partners, we can solve them — together
“I am proud to recognize and celebrate the important work of ExtraFood. They are an exceptional model for how to address hunger, reduce food waste and fight climate change all at the same time. They are providing fresh, healthy foods to many who would not otherwise have access to it. And they have become a critical part of Marin County’s emergency response, providing over 90,000 freshly made meals during the COVID-19 pandemic alone. I am grateful for their work and service to the community”
– Assemblymember Marc Levine
Representing District 10, Marin and Sonoma Counties