Our Mission
Our Mission Statement
The mission of the SLO Food Bank is to work with a network of community partners to alleviate hunger in San Luis Obispo County and build a healthier community.
Our Vision Statement
The vision of the SLO Food Bank is a community in which every person has adequate access to nutritious food.
- Every human being has the right to nutritious food, regardless of the reasons that they may not be able to obtain it for themselves.
- The SLO Food Bank’s intent is not only to help make nutritious food available through programs and agencies, but also to encourage and support each person served, recognizing their possible vulnerabilities and sensitivities.
- Everyone the SLO Food Bank serves, whether individuals, families or agencies, deserve to be treated with kindness, respect, and dignity.
- It is our privilege to serve without judgment.
Prevalence of Hunger
Despite its acclaimed beauty and agricultural abundance, hunger remains a significant issue in San Luis Obispo County, with tens of thousands of residents relying on food from the SLO Food Bank each month.
High living costs contribute to this crisis, with nearly a third of all households in San Luis Obispo County not making the income required to meet their basic needs. On top of that, nearly 40% of the people experiencing food insecurity are ineligible for federal nutrition programs, underscoring the importance of the SLO Food Bank in bridging the gap and providing essential resources to those in need.
Our Nutrition Guidelines
The SLO Food Bank states within its values statement that “every human being has the right to nutritious food.” Individuals living in food-insecure households face many barriers that prevent them from consuming a healthy diet, which makes them more susceptible to diet-related chronic diseases, including – obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Individuals, including children, living in food-insecure households are also more likely to experience difficulties at work and in school and deal with greater levels of stress and other mental health complications.
SLO Food Bank plays an important role in filling the nutrition gaps that exist for vulnerable community members across SLO County. These guidelines ensure that our organization provides food items that are rich in important nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and fiber and that contain minimal amounts of nutrients that should be limited as part of a healthy dietary pattern, including saturated fat, added sugar, and sodium.
The SLO Food Bank has formal nutrition guidelines to define what nutritious foods are and to maintain standards for the distribution of those foods.
How do we Adhere to These Guidelines?
Every food product — whether donated, purchased, or procured through government programs — that enters the SLO Food Bank Warehouse is vetted based on its nutritional content and categorized using a three-tiered nutrition classification system. Each food product is then assigned its respective category in our inventory system, which allows for tracking of the overall nutritional quality of food distributed from the SLO Food Bank Warehouse.
Programs and projects supported by the City of San Luis Obispo funds are open and accessible to all otherwise qualified members of the public and without regard to race, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, or disability.
