Redwood Empire Food Bank
A nonprofit food bank serving people facing hunger across California's North Coast.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Redwood Empire Food Bank (REFB) is a nonprofit hunger-relief organization based in Sonoma County, California. Founded in 1987, it serves the North Coast region and belongs to the Feeding America network. Its mission is to reduce and ultimately end hunger in the communities it serves by acquiring food, coordinating charitable distribution, operating direct-assistance programs, and advocating for policies that address the structural causes of food insecurity. REFB is described as Sonoma County's largest hunger-relief organization. Its service area extends beyond Sonoma County to Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt, and Del Norte counties. In those communities, food reaches people through emergency food pantries and closets, shelters, dining rooms, childcare and youth programs, group homes, disaster-relief agencies, and food distributions operated or supported by the food bank. Seniors, children, working families, and other households with insufficient access to food use these programs for supplemental groceries and emergency assistance. The organization combines a regional food-bank model with direct community distribution. It obtains food through donations, government commodity programs, wholesale purchases, community food drives, and partnerships with growers, businesses, foundations, and individuals. Food is then distributed through member agencies and through direct programs such as pop-up food distributions. The agency network includes charitable organizations that select food through an Agency Shopping Program, while direct distributions bring groceries closer to residents in areas where conventional food-assistance access may be limited. A major expansion completed in the early 2010s increased REFB's logistical capacity. In 2011, the organization purchased a 60,000-square-foot facility near Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport. After renovations, the site included expanded warehouse space, truck docks, offices, and a large freezer and cooler. It also introduced a value marketplace intended to give low-income families a more dignified grocery-shopping experience while supporting access to programs such as WIC and CalFresh. The facility replaced several smaller rented spaces and was approximately three times the size of the organization's previous location. REFB also addresses nutrition and health, not only food quantity. Its Diabetes Wellness program focuses on low-income older adults living with or at risk of type 2 diabetes. The program combines food support, educational materials, health screenings, and collaboration with Sonoma County health-care providers. A three-year initiative launched in 2012 was supported by an $800,000 grant from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. The food bank's scale has changed over time as economic and community conditions have shifted. The organization reported distributing the equivalent of 40 million meals in 2018, or approximately 40,000 meals per day, and serving about 82,000 people annually across five counties. More than 8,500 volunteers contributed during 2018, performing warehouse, transportation, clerical, food-drive, event, and technology-related work equivalent to more than 45 full-time positions. REFB's operating model depends heavily on donated food and volunteer labor, with the majority of expenses directed toward hunger-relief programs. Beyond direct service, Redwood Empire Food Bank advocates for legislation and longer-term measures intended to reduce hunger. Its role therefore spans emergency food distribution, regional logistics, nutrition education, community partnerships, disaster response, and public-policy advocacy. It remains an active regional nonprofit rather than a commercial food brand or publicly traded company.
History
Redwood Empire Food Bank was established in 1987 to address hunger in Sonoma County and the broader North Coast of California. It developed as a regional food bank, acquiring food from donations, public commodity programs, wholesale suppliers, community drives, and institutional partners, then distributing that food through charitable agencies and its own assistance programs. Its affiliation with the Feeding America network connected it to the wider U.S. food-bank system while leaving it responsible for local sourcing, logistics, partnerships, and service delivery. As its reach expanded, REFB served a varied network of emergency food pantries, shelters, dining rooms, youth and childcare programs, group homes, and disaster-relief organizations. It also supplied smaller food banks serving Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt, and Del Norte counties. This structure allowed the organization to operate both as a wholesaler to community agencies and as a direct provider to residents seeking supplemental groceries. Over time, direct distributions became a substantial part of its work, including recurring pop-up distributions designed to reach households throughout the service region. The organization experienced rising demand during periods of economic hardship. Historical accounts reported more than 110,000 people receiving emergency food assistance annually around 2010, with approximately 26,000 different people receiving assistance in a typical week at that time. Later figures described a different measurement and service scale: by 2018, REFB reported serving approximately 82,000 people across five counties and distributing the equivalent of 40 million meals during the year. These figures reflect the changing scope of emergency food needs and the different ways food-bank activity can be measured. A central turning point came with the acquisition of a large facility in 2011. REFB purchased a 60,000-square-foot building near the Sonoma County airport for $5 million and invested an additional $2.5 million in renovations and improvements. The project added a 5,000-square-foot freezer and cooler, warehouse racking, truck docks, and administrative space. After a groundbreaking celebration in October 2012, the facility opened in early 2013. It was about three times the size of the facility the organization had occupied since 1998 and consolidated operations previously spread across three rented buildings. The new site also introduced a value marketplace for low-income families. Rather than relying exclusively on a conventional food-pantry model, the marketplace was intended to provide a more dignified shopping experience and help eligible households access groceries through programs such as WIC and CalFresh. The facility consequently strengthened both REFB's logistical role and its public-facing service model. REFB broadened its activities beyond the distribution of calories by developing health-oriented programming. In 2012, it began a three-year Diabetes Wellness project supported by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation. The project focused on low-income seniors with type 2 diabetes and combined food, educational information, screenings, and cooperation with Sonoma County health-care providers. This work illustrates the organization's effort to connect emergency food assistance with nutrition and chronic-disease concerns. Food sourcing has remained diversified. Historical operating information identified donated fresh produce as the largest source, followed by donated groceries, wholesale purchases, USDA commodities, and community food drives. A notable earlier donation occurred in December 1998, when Yoko Ono gave more than 33,000 pounds of food in memory of John Lennon. REFB also uses volunteer labor extensively. In 2018, more than 8,500 people volunteered in food sorting and packing, driving, clerical work, special events, food drives, and technology projects. The organization is structured as a 501(c)(3) public charity. Its funding model has included the value of donated food, individual contributions, grants and foundation support, corporate partnerships, partner organizations, government contracts, community fundraisers, and shared maintenance fees paid by some member agencies. Historical information indicated that the overwhelming majority of expenses supported hunger-relief programs. In addition to delivering food, REFB advocates for legislation intended to produce durable reductions in hunger, positioning it as both an emergency-response institution and a participant in broader anti-hunger policy work.
- 2018
REFB reports 40 million meals distributed
[1]The food bank reports distributing the equivalent of approximately 40 million meals and engaging more than 8,500 volunteers.
- 2013
Expanded facility opens
[1]The renovated facility opens with cold storage, warehouse infrastructure, truck docks, offices, and a value marketplace.
- 2012
Diabetes Wellness project begins
[1]A three-year project supported by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation begins to combine food assistance, diabetes education, screenings, and health-care partnerships.
- 2012
Expansion facility groundbreaking is held
[1]REFB holds a groundbreaking celebration for renovations to its new regional distribution facility.
- 2011
Large airport-area facility is purchased
[1]REFB purchases a 60,000-square-foot building near Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport to expand storage and distribution capacity.
- 1998
Yoko Ono makes a major food donation
[1]Yoko Ono donates more than 33,000 pounds of food in memory of John Lennon.
- 1987
Redwood Empire Food Bank is founded
[1]The organization is established to provide hunger-relief services in Sonoma County and the North Coast of California.
Products and positioning
A regional, community-based hunger-relief organization combining food-bank logistics, direct food distributions, charitable-agency partnerships, nutrition education, volunteer mobilization, and policy advocacy.
Direct food assistance
Pop-up food distributions
Recurring community distributions that provide groceries directly to people facing food insecurity. Historical operating information indicated that roughly 70% of distributed food moved through more than 300 such distributions each month, making this one of REFB's principal channels for reaching residents across its service area.
Charitable-agency support
Agency Shopping Program
A program through which member charities obtain food from REFB for distribution through pantries, shelters, dining rooms, youth programs, group homes, and related community services. Historical descriptions referenced more than 170 participating charities, while the wider service network has included more than 130 charitable organizations.
Low-income grocery access · 2013
Value marketplace
A grocery-shopping format created at REFB's expanded facility for low-income families. The marketplace was designed to provide a more dignified experience than a conventional emergency-pantry model and to support access to food-assistance programs including WIC and CalFresh.
Nutrition and health education · 2012
Diabetes Wellness program
A program serving low-income seniors affected by diabetes through food support, educational materials, screenings, and cooperation with local health-care providers. The initiative connected hunger relief with chronic-disease prevention and management, particularly around type 2 diabetes.
Food-bank logistics · 1987
Regional food-bank distribution
REFB acquires donated, purchased, and publicly supplied food and distributes it across Sonoma, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt, and Del Norte counties. Its regional logistics include warehouse storage, refrigerated capacity, transportation, agency fulfillment, and support for disaster-relief organizations.
Marketing campaigns
- 2012Diabetes Wellness Project
Sonoma County, California
A three-year initiative addressing food insecurity and type 2 diabetes among low-income seniors through food, education, screenings, and health-care partnerships.
- 2007Holiday food drive
Sonoma County, California
REFB's holiday food drive set a target of collecting 200,000 pounds of food and raising $160,000 to support seasonal hunger-relief activity.
Brand decisions
2012
Add health-focused diabetes programmingStrategyBackground
Food insecurity among low-income seniors intersects with diabetes risk and chronic-disease management.
Action taken
REFB began a three-year Diabetes Wellness project with support from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation and local health-care providers.
Aftermath
The program broadened REFB's role from emergency food distribution to nutrition education, screenings, and health-related support.
Project grant. $800,000 (2012 three-year project)
2011
Purchase and consolidate operations in a larger facilityStrategyBackground
REFB needed greater storage, refrigeration, transportation, and administrative capacity as its regional hunger-relief operations expanded.
Action taken
The organization purchased a 60,000-square-foot building near the Sonoma County airport and funded substantial renovations, including cold storage, warehouse infrastructure, truck docks, and offices.
Aftermath
The expanded site opened in early 2013, replaced three rented spaces, and was approximately three times the size of the prior facility. It also enabled the value marketplace model.
Facility purchase and renovation. $5 million purchase plus $2.5 million in renovations and improvements (2011–2013)
Recent events
ABC7 and Disney donate $15,000 to Redwood Empire Food Bank[3]
Reported:
ABC7 and its parent company Disney provided a $15,000 donation to Redwood Empire Food Bank to support the Feeding America's Produce Program.
Sources3 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/redwood-empire-food-bank · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled