Food Bank of Southern California Antes Up Under New CEO 

Tucked away in a quiet, industrial pocket of Long Beach, in a quaint red-brick building that was fittingly once a creamery circa 1912, stands a cornucopia of hope and provision. Through partnership with hundreds of churches and other community organizations, the Foodbank of Southern California (FBSC) has been providing free food for distribution to those who need it most across L.A. County for over four decades. Since the hire of new CEO/President Brian Weaver this past spring, it would seem the organization’s proverbial cup runneth over.

Weaver, who was previously on the FBSC board for over a year, says, “We have probably about 300 pantries who come and get food from us. If you look throughout L.A., when you see people giving out food, there’s probably a 50% chance they got it from us. I like to say this is the one place all the churches get along.”

That “one place” features an immaculate 24,000 square foot warehouse replete with everything from fresh eggs to plant-based milks. Much of the food is organic, which supports the vision of serving the food-insecure with dignity, offering quality products comparable to that found at conventional grocers.

FBSC has served an estimated 1.5 million individuals so far this year. The goal? To surpass 2 million by the year’s end and double that next year.

On average, recipients receive 13-16 items, including milk, butter, meat, canned and fresh vegetables, as a start.

“We don’t give out anything that’s going bad,” said Weaver, referring to a practice some food banks employ regularly. Rather, FBSC purchases food from the same source as Ralph’s and Vons.

“In some respects, our food is actually fresher. Grocers have to send it to their stores. They have to spread it throughout their stores. They have to put it on the shelves,” Weaver explained.

Given the need and the breadth of FBSC’s network—while they tend to focus on South Central, Long Beach and surrounding areas, they serve all of L.A. County, from Palmdale to Pomona—FBSC’s supply often lasts but a few days.

FBSC prides itself on partnering with smaller farms, many of which are BIPOC-owned. “We probably have about $5,000,000 that we spend with these [farms],” said Weaver. “So, we are actively searching for other BIPOC farmers we can partner with.”

In addition, FBSC is in the process of taking over an existing 88-acre garden owned by the county to expand capabilities and home-grow offerings. Planned practices are innovative, featuring aquaponics, a method of food production that mixes aquaculture and hydroponics.

“The harvest on that is 10 times as fast or faster than just planting on the ground, and it tastes 10 times better. It actually has flavor,” said Weaver.

“But the interesting thing is, if we harvested that whole 88 acres, it would probably last 3 days.” Such is the demand.

Having successfully partnered on health initiatives with organizations like Mothers in Action and First Ladies of Black Churches, another project close to Weaver’s heart involves local high schools and a curriculum empowering young people to grow their food, eschewing the food desert status of many of their communities, and instead of waiting for supermarkets to move in, inspiring them to reimagine how they get their food.

And the reimagination doesn’t stop there. Hearty new grants have made possible 10 new hires with full benefit packages over the last 7 months, as well as a renovation of the primary site and the acquisition of a new building outfitted to accommodate a broader “sharehouse” vision. This will include workshops, corporate team building, produce prep/processing, the establishment of emergency response facilities and transport, and direct homelessness assistance through mobile kitchens and the like.

“Our pride and joy are our new vehicles for emergency response,” said Weaver. “Because, in an emergency—earthquake, fire, flood, riot, whatever, we become first responders, so we have a truck, and we have three more coming. They are food trucks, kitchen trucks, and they have…commercial fryers, ovens, stovetops, fridges, everything. If there’s an emergency, we can respond in a minute with hot food and water. In the meantime, we’re going to use it for the homeless…because I view homelessness as an emergency. We understand that, in our homeless situation in L.A., 50-51% of those people are senior citizens, and 40% of those have never been homeless before. So they’re out there sleeping on the street while we’re trying to build new houses. The least we could do is provide a hot meal for them.”

This effort could be as impactful as it is ambitious.

Doubtless, Weaver’s background informs the transformational work he’s doing with FBSC, from his experience as a young boy residing in the Nickerson Gardens Housing Projects, being issued telltale blocks of cheese, to his time running food pantries in the eighties and working with kids at Jordan Downs. There, he recalls kids’ diets consisting merely of peanut butter and Top Ramen because their parents were strung out on crack.

“This was a no-brainer,” said Weaver. “We have the opportunity to actually change people’s lives with food. It’s available to us, and we don’t try to hoard anything. I feel that if we keep giving it out, it’ll keep coming in.”

Given that FBSC has been around since 1975, it’s a fair bet.

“We’re feeding people,” emphasized Weaver. “At the end of the day, we see food as a human right. No one should go hungry for any reason, not in this country. We waste billions and billions of dollars. We have people who don’t know where they’re going to get [their next meal]. We can’t do anything about rent right now, but we can do something about food.”

To learn more about FBSC food pantries, how your organization can host new food pantries, or how you can otherwise support the work of the FBSC, call (562) 435-3577.