Fresno organization gets $15K to support food distribution site in Delano

Victoria Meza
·2 min read

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A Fresno-based nonprofit organization has received a $15,000 donation from Tri Counties Bank to support a farmworker food distribution site in Delano, officials announced Wednesday.

Tri Counties Bank announced the investment will be for Fresno-based Central California Food Bank’s (CCFB) Farmworker Community Partnership Program.

Earlier this year, officials say the CCBF expanded the program to Delano in collaboration with the California Farmworker Foundation (CFF). The Delano distribution includes fresh produce and shelf-stable food boxes with pasta, beans, canned fruit, and vegetables, as well as milk, to farm working families experiencing hunger.

The program is tailored for farm working families who are unable to access traditional food distribution times due to harvesting periods.

“This seed gift from Tri Counties Bank has allowed us to partner with California Farmworker
Foundation once again to bring much-needed food resources to Delano. We are grateful for the
partnership in fighting hunger in our farmworker communities,” says Kym Dildine, co-CEO of
Central California Food Bank.

Photo Courtesy: Central California Food Bank.
Photo Courtesy: Central California Food Bank.

Officials with the Central California Food Bank say the Delano farmworker distributions take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. compared to normal operating distribution hours that start at 8 a.m.

“We are proud to support CCFB and local farm workers in the Delano area,” said Aytom
Solomon, Senior Vice President and Market President of the Greater Bakersfield area at Tri
Counties Bank. “We are a community bank at our core, which means putting our communities’
well-being first. Improving the financial success of our communities begins with ensuring they
don’t go hungry.

CCFB officials say they launched the Farmworker Community Partnership Program during the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to help feed essential workers who could not make traditional distribution times. The program serves five distribution sites in rural communities of Fresno, Tulare, and Kern counties, providing emergency food boxes that include culturally appropriate food items to serve over 1340 farmworkers households each month.

Since the beginning of 2023, officials say 420566 lbs of food have been distributed in Delano, Five Points, Richgrove, Strathmore, and Pixley through their partnership with CFF.

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