Foodbank of Santa Barbara CountyBy Foodbank of Santa Barbara County
A Unified Effort Against Food Insecurity
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is delighted to welcome Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America to our new Sharehouse. Claire’s visit on Wednesday afternoon will mark a significant strengthening of our partnership in the ongoing fight against food and nutritional insecurity.
Claire Babineaux-Fontenot’s leadership at Feeding America has been instrumental in advancing the fight against food insecurity nationwide. Since assuming her role in 2018, she has spearheaded initiatives aimed at addressing food insecurity and fostering sustainable solutions. Under her guidance, Feeding America, a network of food banks across the country, has achieved remarkable milestones providing vital support to millions of individuals and families facing food insecurity. The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is proud to be a member of the Feeding America network.
The Sharehouse, with its newly renovated 57,000-square-foot warehouse, symbolizes our commitment to ending food insecurity and promoting nutritional wellness in Santa Barbara County. While the warehouse renovations are nearing completion, the Sharehouse is already poised to make a meaningful impact. It will serve as a central hub for distributing healthy food, storing emergency supplies for disaster readiness, and offering nutrition education to empower our community.
Feeding America provides not only vital food resources but also partnership funding and a powerful network to food banks across the country. This support enables the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County to further our mission of ensuring that everyone in our community has access to nutritious food.
For four decades, the Foodbank has been dedicated to ending food insecurity. With the generous support of donors and volunteers, we continue to work towards a future where access to nutritious food is a fundamental right.
Babineaux’s stop in Santa Barbara will mark her first visit to the Foodbank’s central coast facilities. “We are thrilled to welcome Claire to our foodbank for the first time,” says Foodbank CEO, Erik Talkin. “Our relationship with Feeding America on the national level is vital to our ability to source food, fundraise, advocate and train together. It is a powerful network that ensures we can build food security in Santa Barbara County. Claire has also been an inspirational figure for both myself and other leaders in the organization with her experience, commitment, passion and leadership in the world of food security.”
Claire Babineaux-Fontenot’s visit to our Sharehouse underscores the importance of collaboration in the fight against food insecurity. Together with Feeding America, we are committed to creating a food-secure Santa Barbara County where everyone has the nourishment they need to thrive.
For more information about Feeding America, visit feedingamerica.org
About the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County is transforming health by eliminating hunger and food insecurity through good nutrition and food literacy. The Foodbank provides nourishment and education through a network of more than 200 partner agencies, nutrition education programs, and food distribution sites operated by the Foodbank and its volunteers. In Santa Barbara County, one in four people receives support from the Foodbank – 38% of the people we serve are children.
For more information, visit FoodbankSBC.org.
