It’s hard to believe, but an estimated 2,000 people will join forces in March to help raise money for the many hungry people in the Sacramento region. With need continuing to rise, the $125,000 that River City Food Bank hopes to raise couldn’t come too soon.

Empty Bowls, River City Food Bank’s most important fundraiser, has grown into a real community-wide event over its nine year history. This year, more than 1,000 people are expected to attend either the supper event on Monday, March 5, or the luncheon event on Tuesday, March 6. Meanwhile, hundreds of students, professional artists and potters have been working for months to create bowls from which guests will select upon their arrival at the event.

And that’s not counting the many volunteers who organize and set up, prominent chefs who will create the soups, or the celebrities who will don aprons to greet guests and dish out soups.

The $60 ticket for the Monday evening event, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., includes not only a choice of gourmet soups and an opportunity to select a one-of-a-kind bowl to take home, but wine, hors d’oeuvres and dessert. For the first time, Classique Catering is sponsoring the evening event and promises to present a delicious menu.

The luncheon, slated for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., will be divided into an 11 a.m. and 12:30 seating. The $30 luncheon ticket includes a bowl to take home as a reminder of the many empty bowls in our community, as well as a selection of soups, bread, and dessert. Both events include a Potters’ Market featuring booths of arts and crafts items provided by local artists.

“It’s a simple meal with a simple message: people are hungry,” says Eileen Thomas, executive director.

Under the leadership of co-chairs Beth Foondos and Betsy Myers, RCFB is kicking the event up a notch with a new venue: the Sacramento Convention Center.

“We’re so grateful for the generosity of the Sacramento Masonic Temple for letting us use their beautiful ballroom on J Street for so many years,” explains Eileen, “but the event just outgrew it.”

Attendees will continue to enjoy the informal atmosphere of the simple soup supper or luncheon, but without bottlenecks caused by the limited space. Although there will still be two luncheon seatings, there will be plenty of tables so that people can linger with friends.

Where can I buy tickets?

Tickets may be purchased online, or at one of two Sacramento retailers: The Cathedral Bookshop, 2620 Capitol Avenue, or Avid Reader at the Tower, 1600 Broadway.

What restaurants are creating soups?

Shannon Berg of Cafe Bernardo

The Broiler, Café Bernardo, Classique Catering, The Grange, Greek Village Inn, Lucca Restaurant and Bar, Michelangelo’s, R15, Scott’s Seafood Grill and Bar, and Vizcaya

Where do the bowls come from?

Area students from the following area schools produce an amazingly creative array of bowls: American River College, Christian Brothers High School, Consumnes Oaks High School, CSUS Ceramics Center, Elk Grove High School, Highlands High School, Rio Americano High School, Twelve Bridges Middle School, Twin Lakes Elementary School, Sacramento City College, Sheldon High School, Sierra College, and Vista del Lago High School.

Some of the most polished bowl creations come from professional potters as well as amateurs who participate in ceramic, wood and glass workshops. Wooden and glass bowls are very popular, and Norcal Woodturners have pledged 100 of their hand-turned creations!

Chris Efstratis of Natural Fire

Bowls are expected from: Firebox Ceramics, Allied Ceramics Art Institute, P.K. Bryan Ceramics Studio and Student Workshop, Classen Studio, gd Designs, Hands in Mud Workshop, JM Ceramics, Mudpie Pottery, Natural Fire, Nor-Cal Woodturners, Practical Pottery, Stellar Studios, Kanika African Sculptures, Terraluna Art, Ray Gonzales Artworks, John C. Reiger Pottery, and R.R. Ceramics.

Thanks to our sponsors

Sponsorships are vital to the financial success of Empty Bowls. Please take a moment to look at the list of sponsors on our website’s Empty Bowls page.

Posted by: Philanthrophile, also known as Betsy Stone

Marion Welch offers healthy options to Ken

The word is out: River City Food Bank is back in business, and it’s better than ever.

After two weeks out of operation as we moved, we re-opened Monday to a relieved crowd. Short on money for basics like healthy food, people in need found our new home at 1800 28th Street. By the end of the week we provided emergency 3-day groceries to approximately 1,300 clients.

The open-plan facility also allowed us to do something we’ve been wanting to do for years: offer people a choice of healthy foods. We believe it will help people eat better if they can choose things that fit their family’s tastes and habits. But it also reflects our philosophy of serving people with dignity. We want to respect their preferences and give them more control over what for many is a devastating experience: not just a loss of income, but the loss of a way of life.

The building not only looks shiny and new, it smells fresh. “The smell of fresh paint instills a sense of pride in our volunteers, staff and clients,” Eileen says. “It feels new and hopeful.”

Who needs new-car smell when you can have this?

Besides the many volunteers who helped improve the space and pack and unpack boxes of supplies and food, Eileen says she is grateful for John Rohveld’s facilitation with Shannon Trucking, which moved RCFB’s enormous commercial freezers and refrigerators. Goodwill also provided the truck that loaded up our food and moved it to the new location a half mile away.

Posted by: philanthrophile, also known as Betsy Stone

More pictures:

Ivan Trinidad of Christo Rey

It doesn’t look like much, but what Eileen Thomas is holding in her hands is the health department’s permission for River City Food Bank to start operating at the new location at 28th and R Streets. We painted the bathroom with the wrong kind of paint, and the hot water temperature is 5 degrees too cool, but we can address those issues and open for business Monday morning.

Eileen rescheduled the move four times to address delays and other hiccups, like missing fire extinguishers that the Fire Department required in its final sign off. Check out the photos below of the move-in:

Julie Sherry is handed a box

Mac Carpenter and Steve Ruder assembled shelving

The desktop was removed so Larry Stanfill could adjust it

Eileen admires the new grocery fulfillment area

Julie Sherry arrived with an armload of bags

Shireen Williams grabs a box to carry inside

Tim Buckley is the new part-time assistant to our program director

The new entrance and exit (the iron work on the round doorway will be removed)

Eileen would love a flat screen TV to rotate info about healthy food prep

Larry Stanfill cuts the desktop to size

Our commercial refrigeration and freezer units are firing up!

Details! The fire extinguishers that were required for fire department sign off

– Posted by: Philanthrophile, also known as Betsy Stone

Maggie Erwin, registered dietitian, CARES, shows off the finished product

The Hunger Coalition introduced CARES and River City Food Bank to each other, but fun – and love of food – keeps them together.

Picture 25 people in a room enthusiastically taking turns to hollow out a small pumpkin, chop onions and shallots, shred cabbage, brown some beef and then mix the beef with tomato sauce, water and rice.  Mmmm… and then imagine the best part: sampling the dinner-in-a-pumpkin that had been prepared hours before.

Every month, Eileen Thomas presents the one-hour, free “Fun with Cooking” cooking class at CARES (a health clinic and community STD testing site) to people who are looking for tasty and affordable ways to improve the quality of their meals.  Showing people on tight budgets how to make crowd pleasing meals with food pantry staples is a highlight of Eileen’s month.  Participants come from both CARES and the food bank.

Margie Erwin, registered dietitian of CARES, explained that the cooking class is a great match between the two organizations’ missions:  ”River City Food Bank clients benefit from CARES services and access to nutrition  information from CARES’ registered dietitian and dietetic interns, and RCFB clients benefit from knowing about CARES.”

Lisa Steele, guest teacher, and Jaclyn Goldsmith, UCD Dietetics program intern

Facing the impending move to the new building and extra work of the holidays, Eileen accepted an offer from a guest teacher, Lisa Steele, who trained as a registered dietitian and shares Eileen’s love of cooking.

Participants all received the makings for the recipe, which serves 4 to 6 — including the sugar pumpkins.  Their commitment?  To make the recipe at home.

This wasn’t your quiet, awestruck cooking class.  The participants actively cheered one another on, applauded the outcome and exchanged ideas about ways to switch up the easy recipe.  For example, the recipe could go vegetarian by substituting black beans for the ground beef.  Or Asian with some ginger and soy sauce.  Or Mexican with corn and chili. It’s so versatile that any grain can be used in place of rice.

The goal of the partnership is to improve people’s consumption of nutritious foods despite economic limitations and, ultimately, to improve their health and quality of life.

The class participants highly recommend garnishing with a little fresh nutmeg just as the dish is served!

Here’s the recipe, chosen by Eileen, and adapted from food.com by Lisa:

Ingredients

• 1 small/medium pumpkin
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped (and/or shallots)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
• 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning (or whatever spices in that amount that you have on hand that are in the mix: marjoram, basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cups tomato juice (or tomato sauce and thin it a little)
• 3 cups shredded cabbage
• 1/2 lb fresh green beans, washed and trimmed (in this case the class used cabbage)
• 1 cup uncooked white rice
• Grated parmesan cheese to top

As Crystal Say (pictured above) swept stray top soil off the street next to River City Food Bank‘s new home last Friday, she explained that she had come to know the organization by participating in RCFB’s Harvest for Hunger in October through her involvement in XOSO sports league, which provided cleanup volunteers for the event.  She’s been receiving RCFB’s periodic e-newsletters and now, she says, “I love this organization.”  Lots more pictures here.

Randy Sater and Eileen Thomas

Thursday night, the Sacramento Metro Chamber celebrates the conclusion of its first Project Inspire effort, which has helped to convert a 3,275 square foot former agency for the hearing impaired into a food bank that is ready to serve the growing population of Sacramentans in need of emergency food.  Randy Sater, who was the Sacramento Metro Chamber Chair when the program kicked off last year, puts the value of the project at over $250,000, including a $10,000 cash award and LOTS of in-kind donations.

River City Food Bank asked the Chamber for $75,000 in in-kind help to improve the building that was purchased after its operational home was lost to arson on Oct. 21, 2010.  Since it was picked from 48 applications last February, a group of committed Metro Chamber volunteers has been busy behind the scenes helping River City Food Bank to secure the permit to operate as a food bank, plan the new space, and recruit companies and individuals to donate materials and labor toward the effort.

Kyle Glankler

As with any building project, the RCFB project took longer and cost more than anticipated.  Kyle Glankler of Roebbelen Contracting Inc. steadily pushed the project forward as a key volunteer leader of the effort, cajoling community partners and Metro Chamber members to support the effort. Wayne Kirkling of Teichert also had a big hand in securing partners that delivered top soil and trimmed trees last Friday.  Paula Desideri of Lionakis, who spearheaded space planning, got so involved that she’s since joined the RCFB Board.

ADP volunteers

Last Friday, more than 50 people added their sweat equity to the effort by sweeping, digging, trimming, prepping, hauling, pouring and compacting soil, hauling and washing.  Lots of pictures are on our flickr site, here.  The volunteer effort was followed this week by interior and exterior painting.

Take a minute to look over the list of the great and giving people and companies who stepped up to do a little – and in many cases, a lot!  We’ll continue to add to this list as we identify more of the many companies and people who have been helping to rebuild this important part of Sacramento’s food safety net.

• Project Inspire/RCFB Project Committee: Roebbelen Contracting Inc., 3fold Communications, Carpenter’s Union, Downey Brand LLP, Lionakis, Northern California Construction Trades, Sutter Health, Taylor & Wiley, and Teichert
• In-kind donors (those *asterisked contributed $5,000 or more in goods and services)
  
• 3fold Communications
• Air Systems*
• AP Thomas
• Atlas Disposal
• Bonney Heating and Air*
• Capital Engineering Consultants
• Carpenter’s Union
• Chipotle
• Downey Brand LLP*
• Fallen Leaf Tree Service
• Green Acres Nursery
• Harry A. Yee and Associates*
• Hastie’s Capitol Sand and Gravel
• JD Pasquetti General Engineering
• KHS&S Drywall
• Lionakis*
• Nohoch Production
• Pacific Coast Building Products
• Roebbelen Contracting Inc.*
• Rosendin Electric*
  
• StoneBridge Properties
• Summit Air
• Sutter Health*
• Taylor-Wiley*
• Teichert-Capitol Builders Hardware
• Turman Commercial Painters*
• Winzler & Kelly
• Volunteers on 11-11-11:  Nor Cal Construction & Training Program students, The Berejikian-Lack family, Deirdre Bigus, Mike Borchard, Giselle Carrillo, Kristin Casey, Joe Cava, Allie Cole, Neil and Susan Cunningham, Marie Fiore, Kevin Garvin, Andrew Geniesse, Kyle Glankler, Luanne Hansen, Peggy Hoyt, Nicole James, Antonio Jimenez, Kristian Jimenez, Hanna Kauffman, Scott Kauffman, LaSheathe Lampkin, Steven Livingston, Karl Lohse, Mona Lucero, Gregory Moore, Mike Norris, Sean O’Brien, Ron Parsons, Liz Purcell, Shareen Rendon, Judy Robinson, Delilah Rojo, Randy Sater, Crystal Say, James Schubert, Katherine Sherman, Michael Smith, Shirley Smith, Larry Stanfill, Keri Thomas, Scott Thomas, Heidi Thomas, John Thomas, Sheree Thornton, Elise Walden, Kerri Warner and Laura Wilder
  

Project Inspire is a program of activities focused on promoting community through inspiring civic-minded leadership, volunteerism, and philanthropic giving in the Sacramento region.  Anyone can join in this collective effort to do good for a donation of $250 or more!  The Metro Chamber is offering organized group volunteer activities, opportunities to contribute to a philanthropic giving circle, and recognition of giving efforts of businesses addressing the greatest social needs of the region. The program’s goal is to encourage participation by businesses and individuals, and to make it easier to give time, knowledge, talents and donations.

Want to get involved in 2012?  Secure donations may be made through the Sacramento Region Community Foundation’s website or by sending a check to the Sacramento Region Community Foundation earmarked for the Inspire Giving Fund.  Any business or community member who becomes a member of Project Inspire gets a voice in deciding which charity or charities will receive funds in the next funding cycle.

The need for River City Food Bank’s services has skyrocketed this year, especially for seniors and children.  By the end of 2011, an estimated 47,000 people will have turned to the food bank for emergency food assistance. Thirty percent of the meals provided now go to feed children, and the number of seniors served has climbed 55% since January of this year.

River City Food Bank, an independent 501 (c)(3), is completely funded by individuals and corporate donations and grants. Senior Gleaners and Sacramento FoodLink help supply RCFB with food, along with businesses that provide day-old items, frozen food and fresh fruits and vegetables. Individuals and groups donate non-perishable food, fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as formula and diapers for families with infants and young children. The organization is governed by a vibrant and skilled 16-member Board of Directors.

Posted by: Philanthrophile, also known as Betsy Stone

What guides us: concern for clients like this little one

Ninth in a series

In the wake of what we would eventually learn was arson – part of a string of fires in Midtown and not targeted at destroying River City Food Bank – our Board of Directors faced a series of difficult strategic decisions:

• Is there a distinct need for a Midtown-based food bank, and a food bank that serves the entire county with regular weekday hours, regardless of zip code?
• Should River City Food Bank lease or buy space for a permanent location?
• Should River City Food Bank formalize a capital campaign?

Eighth in a series

We all know how frustrating it is when a computer or mobile phone crashes.  We could never have imagined the longing we would feel for basic technology.  How do you run an agency without working phones and computers?

River City Food Bank was forced to manage without phone lines for nearly six months. And every hour counted when we were trying to restore operations, keep the permit process moving, field calls from interested donors and media, and maintain normal communications with volunteers, funders and agencies who refer clients.

Despite repeated calls to the telephone service provider, and even a plea to KCRA’s Call 3 Problem Solvers, nothing seemed to work when it came to getting phone lines installed.  It wasn’t a proud moment for us, hamstrung by a three-year contract with a company that was swallowed up by a merger.  Let’s just say that company won’t be getting a recommendation from us.

While the phone lines were down, we had to rely on an awkward system to receive and respond to inquiries.  Not surprisingly, Eileen’s mobile phone rang “off the hook.”  Her phone was the only way to reach a live person.  3Fold Communications routed voice calls to an electronic recording system that attempted to turn messages into texts, often with hysterical results.  Unfortunately, we had no computers with speakers, so we weren’t able to listen to recordings. That meant interpreting the slaughtered text messages as best we could. Those were very long months before we were able to restore the most rudimentary of phone services.

In the days after the fire, we also kept our fingers crossed about another vital resource: our donor and financial database.  Although we had been assured that it was appropriately backed up, no one relaxed until we received confirmation that it was safe.

Our computers and server were nothing fancy before the fire, but we depended on them to keep client records. Organizations that fund us require solid documentation to demonstrate our accountability in handling the funds they donate or foods they distribute through RCFB.

Western Health Advantage relieved us of a huge burden when they stepped forward with an offer of seven surplus Dell computers.  Mike Libby of Downey Brand, the firm’s IT leader, stepped forward with an offer of a Dell server and a Microsoft operating system and license, which he then configured.

Until we had a roof over our heads, however, it fell to volunteers to work for hundreds of hours to enter data from our paper forms into our client database – a tedious job if there ever was one!

After moving to donated temporary space in the Heller Pacific building on Capitol Avenue, we had the semblance of a working office (minus ringing phones):  a folding six foot table as Eileen’s desk, several computer work stations, and a server.

Sending and receiving emails was still an exercise in frustration.  A law firm located on the floor below the borrowed office allowed access to its secure wifi connection.  Unfortunately, the barrier of the floor tended to interrupt the signal every 30 minutes or so, usually in the middle of an email or online activity.  To complicate matters, the password changed daily.

Our last bit of critical technology was the website.  The website provided information to clients about our hours and locations (and limitations on our service since we were no longer able to provide housing assistance).  It also was a constant source for people who wanted to know what type of food or volunteer assistance we needed.  Lacking administrative access and tools to be able to maintain the content on the website, 3Fold Communications supported the mission by keeping the website up-to-date.

Before the fire, we might have complained about our computers and phones out of irritation. After the fire, we appreciate as never before what vital infrastructure they are to our mission of feeding the hungry in Sacramento.

Next: Tough strategic choices

Posted by @philanthrophile, also known as Betsy Stone

Tip:  If you’d like to keep up on the latest news about area hunger, RCFB’s efforts to rebuild or major events like Empty Bowls, subscribe to the e-newsletter by signing up on the website.  Look for the email signup field, “Join our secure email list.”

New volunteers included a group from the Metro Chamber

Seventh in a series

River City Food Bank has long prided itself on its low overhead and incredibly diligent volunteer workforce.  Many of our 100+ volunteers made working at River City Food Bank part of their weekly lives for dozens of years.  You’d see them greeting our clients and processing information, weighing groceries, restocking, preparing bags for clients, and helping with administrative activities like mailings.

Our stalwarts hung in there through the long fall and winter months, first huddling under tents in the rain for our scrappy street operation, then “camping” at Trinity Cathedral, and finally stomping their feet to restore some warmth and circulation in our unheated temporary location in the Sutter Medical Center Sacramento parking garage. (They missed the winter chill once the summer heat set in!)

A welcome side benefit of the fire was an influx of new volunteers.  By the time we wrapped up in late December, 79 new volunteers had come forward.

Welcoming, training and orienting that many new volunteers takes a lot of effort. Thankfully, our volunteer coordinator Barbara Edwards, was committed to the task.  To Barbara, working on behalf of River City Food Bank is her quiet response to Christ’s call to take care of the poor and hungry.  You may never talk with her about her reasons for getting so involved, but you can see it in her dedication and gentle, kind demeanor.

Traditionally, our volunteers signed up to work at the food bank on a scheduled day each week, week in and week out, and often, year after year.  Barbara found creative ways to schedule groups of colleagues who wanted to volunteer together, and to harness the outpouring of offers to help.

The fire also brought in far more people who wanted to host private fundraisers or food drives.  With some days delivering as many as a dozen offers to our email inbox or our Google Voice message system, it was obvious that it would take yet more time and effort to make sure that people heard back from us.  Few things would be worse than greeting an offer of help with silence.

Diane Malcolm, a volunteer at Trinity Cathedral’s bookstore and relative newcomer to town, offered to take charge of food drive coordination. Diane’s diligent follow-up, on top of Barbara’s steady support, made it possible for us to engage a whole new group of volunteers.

Even though late November and early December found RCFB very much in the throes of food drive coordination, securing permits for construction, and media interest, we stopped to take time to thank the volunteers who had hung in there with us through difficult conditions since the fire.  Each of our regular volunteers was presented with a porcelain ornament designed by Daisy Sugiyama of Boniform Design, bearing a photo of Mac & Cheese and the sentiment, “comfort and joy.”

Comfort and joy is exactly what our volunteers brought to River City Food Bank’s many desperate clients throughout the especially difficult fall of 2010.

Next: Longing for the mundane

Posted by @philanthrophile, also known as Betsy Stone

Tip:  If you’d like to keep up on the latest news about area hunger, RCFB’s efforts to rebuild or major events like Empty Bowls, subscribe to the e-newsletter by signing up on the website.  Look for the email signup field, “Join our secure email list.”

Sixth in a series

Late on December 21, 2010, River City Food Bank at last received the use permit that allowed us to occupy the donated temporary space in the foot of the Sutter Medical Center Sacramento garage.

While we worried how we would make it through the critical holiday giving season without operating phones and an office, Sacramento businesses, organizations and individuals came through with so many generous donations.  In addition to financial donations, many businesses made generous in-kind donations; Sierra Office Supplies dropped off boxes of paper, pencils and more, Ferrari Color printed five banners for us to use as temporary signage, and Caltronics found a copier for our Christmas stocking.

In 2009, approximately 30 organizations held large scale food drives benefiting RCFB.  In the 2010 holiday season, 224 people and organizations conducted food drives, yielding approximately 65,000 lbs. of food.

Eileen was surprised on December 3 when she attended the Partners in Philanthropy luncheon at the Business Journal’s invitation.  Sponsors AT&T, Wells Fargo and Western Health Advantage huddled before the event and decided to consolidate their donations. Eileen walked out with a $13,000 check.

Local businesses and professionals donated approximately $50,000 worth of materials and labor to improve our temporary space.  Our list of heroes included Richard Sambucetti and Lane Borges (owner) of Borges Architectural Group; Valley Commercial Contractors (Jeff DeWeese and Hal Franscioni); Weckworth Electric (Rod Weckworth and Nate Petee); River City Restoration (Scott Joseph); Norberg Engineering (Bill Norberg); T&S Plumbing and Fab Works (Tim Patton); Barnum and Celillo (Fred Barnum); Panattoni Construction (Steve Soderburg and David Everman), Airco Mechanical (Matt DeWitt); and Roscoe Glass (Dan McGoldrick).

As we completed construction, one big worry remained: how would we replace the commercial freezers and refrigerators that burned in the fire?  One of the thing that distinguishes RCFB from other food closets is its inclusion of protein — dairy and frozen ground meat — in our three-day emergency food supplies.  Without large commercial appliances, we had no way to store such foods at a safe temperature.

Steve Heath of United Way offered to approach Hobart, which agreed to donate two commercial refrigerators and two commercial freezers from its refrigeration division, Traulsen.  When the guys from Jericho Electric installed them, they said, “These are the best boxes made.”  Hobart and Traulsen saved RCFB approximately $24,000 through their generous donation.

The holiday just kept getting better when our Google Voice answering service picked up a message on Christmas Eve from Rabo Bank in Roseville.  Rabo asked for our address to send us a check for $20,000 to support our rebuilding efforts.

Besides food drives, so many organizations and businesses thought up clever ways to get involved.  Organizations donating proceeds to RCFB included the Bel Tempo Handbell Choir, Elite Fitness, Bounce U, Selland’s, the Urban Hive, and Peet’s at 19th and R.

Next:  The most welcome gift of volunteers

Posted by @philanthrophile, also known as Betsy Stone

Tip:  If you’d like to keep up on the latest news about area hunger, RCFB’s efforts to rebuild or major events like Empty Bowls, subscribe to the e-newsletter by signing up on the website.  Look for the email signup field, “Join our secure email list.”

Braving the cold: Susan Timmer, Steve Heath, Kim Tucker and Lesley Miller

As everyone reeled in the hours following the fire, a very large and very welcome life preserver was thrown to us in our turbulent sea.  Sutter Medical Center Sacramento offered River City Food Bank temporary operating space in the lower floor of their parking garage, just across from our still-smoking agency home.

Saying “yes” was the easy part.  Eileen wasn’t daunted that the Sutter space was unimproved – a shell with no walls, electrical or plumbing – but she didn’t know what lay ahead even with a very straightforward plan to make the space operable for what she expected to be a matter of months.  Richard Sambucetti of Borgess Architectural guided the process of space planning through the sometimes tedious, sometimes frustrating process of permitting.  The City’s Planning Department, operating in very lean times, did its best to provide prompt feedback and to turn the permit request around as quickly as possible.

Not surprisingly, River City Food Bank wanted to make the minimum improvements possible given that it would not benefit from the bathroom, sink, walls and venting that were eventually required.  Equally understandably, the City wanted to make sure that its building codes – intended to protect public safety – were enforced fairly.

As time passed, what would become one of the wettest winters in years started to make it impossible to operate on the street.  Another blessing: Trinity Cathedral offered their Great Hall and Sunday School classrooms when November and December rain and wind moved in.

When we set a date of December 1 to celebrate our new temporary home, we were confident that construction would be completed.

Instead, we hadn’t been given permission to start.  Eileen and Susan Timmer, Board President, braved the cold for the early morning media event and let visitors see the space that would soon be bustling with activity.  The “star” of the event was Eileen’s laptop, from which – miraculously – RCFB’s computer consultant, Dan Goodlet, owner of Enable Network, had been able to retrieve emails, documents and data.

It was short but sweet: most of all, a public opportunity to recognize Steve Cohn, Sacramento City Council member for the third district, and representatives of two our our major sponsors, Keri Thomas of Sutter Medical Center Sacramento and Joanne Bronsen of Wells Fargo.  We also thanked Sierra Health, Kaiser Permanente, Sacramento Region Community Foundation, Golden One Credit Union, Delta Dental, the Sacramento Bee and the van Loben Sels/RembeRock Foundation.

Hours later, the day went from good to great.  Eileen sent this email to the Board thanking them for their participation in the morning event, and relaying news of an amazing donation: