Alameda County Community Food Bank has translated the abstract concept of equity into tangible action. Two years ago, the food bank started investigating how to incorporate its equity goals into its operations, identifying its produce budget as an opportunity for concrete action. They discovered that only 1 – 2% of their produce budget was allocated to farms owned by Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). Recognizing this as an area for improvement, the food bank now prioritizes its produce purchases from small, local BIPOC farms. It anticipates that $1.5 million of its $2 million produce budget will be spent with BIPOC farmers this year, marking a sizable increase from nearly zero.

To guide its mission, Alameda County Community Food Bank developed a Strategic Partnerships Framework. A values-based algorithm, this model (envisioned as a pyramid) places racial equity at its base, followed by an emphasis on local buying, and then a focus on partnering with smaller farms. The food bank initially aimed to spend $500,000 of its produce budget with BIPOC farmers, a challenging goal considering less than 5% of farmers fall into this category.

The initiative greatly benefitted from a partnership with Saba Grocers Initiative, an Oakland-based grassroots group that connected the food bank to its network of BIPOC farmers. With Saba’s assistance, the food bank successfully allocated around $1.2 million to BIPOC farmers in the first year. Saba also aids in overcoming logistical issues related to transportation from smaller farms.

Alameda County Community Food Bank‘s initiative brought forth some valuable lessons, highlighting the importance of developing in-person relationships with farmers and cultivating an understanding of the unique challenges faced by small farm operations i.e. cash flow issues and supply limitations. Looking ahead, the food bank plans to extend its initiative, discussing possibilities for pooling produce budgets with other Northern California food banks to create a regional purchasing commitment with the BIPOC farming community.