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"When I started working for Novato Unified School District in 2002 there was no locally-grown produce being offered to the students in our schools. That's an injustice. Today, we offer plenty of locally-grown produce to our kids, but not all the food is used. We had been throwing away perfectly good, healthful food at the end of the day – produce and prepared food – instead of providing it to families in the community who could benefit from it. That's an injustice. Thanks to our local farmers and ExtraFood.org, both of these injustices have been resolved in our efforts to improve the culture of wellness in our schools and community."
— Miguel Villarreal, former Director of Food and Nutritional Services, Novato USD
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“I like volunteering for ExtraFood because you can see who you’re helping.”
— Volunteer Miller R., age 15
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"My team and I are thrilled at the opportunity to help our community. If it were not for the team at ExtraFood.org, I'm not sure how we would be able to donate food in this volume and manner. This is a great partnership among businesses, volunteers, and organizations to help feed the vulnerable residents of Marin County and reduce the amount of wasted food items that end up in landfills."
— Mike Montross, Director of Nutrition Services, MarinHealth Hospital
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"Putting focus on diverting waste saves us money through cutting back on having waste hauled away."
— Kanoa Aipia, Store Director, Nugget Markets - Corte Madera
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"Me hizo sentir que hay personas que aún se preocupan por otros. Gracias."
"It made me feel like there are people who still care about others. Thank you."
— ExtraFood Recipient
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"The school lunches from ExtraFood have been very helpful in providing some great fresh food for our homeless clients. For someone who has nothing to eat for dinner or lunch to receive a simple meal at the end of the day is a small but very meaningful moment."
— Shaun Marshall, Manager, Facilities & Client Services, Ritter Center
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"Beyond the wonderful food that you provide, my children are encouraged by the fact that somewhere out in the world there are people who want to ensure they have fresh, healthy food. This feeling of being cared for is so powerful and I thank you so much for all that you do."
— Sally Matsuishi, Next Generation Scholars - San Rafael
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"At the College of Marin, we know that it takes more than books and classes to succeed in college. It is estimated that a third of our students are food-insecure, and we have homeless students taking PE classes to use the showers. We have come to realize that basic needs take a major toll on our students and can inhibit their ability to learn. We started a “pop-up food pantry” in December 2016 with ExtraFood to address some of those needs on campus. ExtraFood provides fresh, high-quality produce and baked goods rescued from Marin County grocery stores, and students take what they need — no questions asked. This is literally a lifeline for some of our most vulnerable students. We could not be more proud to be part of the ExtraFood network!"
— Anna Pilloton, Director of School and Community Partnerships, College of Marin - Kentfield
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“ExtraFood is a key partner in our business. They help streamline our operations by making the donating process easy.”
— Megan Mokri, Co-Founder, Byte Foods - San Rafael
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"Me ayudado porque mi familia salio positive, nadie a podido salir, y nos da paz sabiendo que la comunidad aprecia y nos ayuda."
"It helped me because my family was [COVID-]positive, no one was able to leave, and it gives us peace knowing that the community appreciates and helps us."
— ExtraFood Recipient
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"We are proud to support the important work that ExtraFood.org does for our Marin community. They make it so easy for us to donate our extra food to those in need. ExtraFood is a heroic partner allowing our community to put our values into action. No person should go hungry."
— Moji Javid, Director of Synagogue Engagement, Congregation Rodef Sholom
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“Donating food helps breathe life into the community, and ExtraFood makes it easy for us. I don’t have to deal with the guilt of throwing things away that people really need.”
— Eddie Reduta, Dairy Manager, Nugget Markets - Corte Madera
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"Con ellas e podido tener comida en la mesa para mi familia, muchas gracias."
"Because of you I was able to have food on my table for my family. Thank you so much."
— ExtraFood Recipient
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"It’s a great complement to a food bank in any location to have a group [ExtraFood.org] that picks up things that aren’t cost-effective for us to pick up. When somebody calls us and says they have some oranges, we ask where to send the tractor-trailer." (Marin Independent-Journal, 7/3/14)
— Paul Ash, Executive Director, SF-Marin Food Bank
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"Thank you so much. This is so critically helpful! Your impressively organized and mission-driven system is key to the wellbeing of all people in the community who struggle with food security."
— Mary Kay Sweeney, Executive Director, Homeward Bound of Marin - Novato
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“You have blessed us beyond measure and have transformed the experience for our food pantry clients.”
— Yaker K., Food Pantry Coordinator, St. Andrew Presbyterian Church - Marin City
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“Kids come [to the church's pantry supplied by ExtraFood] when their parents aren’t home and they don’t have food in the house. People with babies who live on food stamps come for milk. Seniors who need food at the end of the month when their government benefit checks run out come for a bag of groceries.”
— Leticia Jones, People's Inter-Cities Fellowship - Marin City
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"Thank you ExtraFood.org volunteers. The food you are bringing us feeds seniors and young families in West Marin from Muir Beach, into the San Geronimo Valley and up to the Sonoma County line. West Marin is an affordable food desert surrounded by farms producing the best of Marin's food and the most needy are often forgotten. Thank you for including these seniors and families in the bounty Marin's food culture offers."
— Chloe Cook, San Geronimo Community Presbyterian Church and ex-West Marin Senior Services
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“[Because of ExtraFood's deliveries] I’m finding myself eating a more nutritious diet and a diet that has more variety to it, anything from salads to complete dinner meals that appear to be custom made....What I found is as people get older, they tend not to prepare healthy foods for themselves because it is an extra effort. Some of the more complex meals we receive from ExtraFood…instead of just eating a sandwich, people are receiving full meals that are very tasty and made from scratch. All the individuals who I know who receive ExtraFood look forward to it because it tastes so good and has nutrition. It’s high-end food which makes people feel they are receiving something of quality."
— Michael Harris, Novato
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"Every Thursday, ExtraFood delivers high quality fruits and vegetables from the Marin County Farmers Market to St. Vincent de Paul’s Dining Room in San Rafael. While most of this produce is used in the meals we prepare daily (approximately 200 lunches daily), we often have excess fruits and vegetables that we put on our Dining Room shelves for our patrons to take as needed. As fresh fruits and vegetables are essential to a healthy diet, the weekly Farmers Market provides beneficial nutrients to these most vulnerable clients.”
— Vicki Masseria, Director of Finance and Operations, St. Vincent de Paul Society - San Rafael
