More Than a Food Pantry: Community in Action at Haight Ashbury Food Program

One of the most memorable parts of a Saturday food rescue to Haight Ashbury Food Program (HAFP) is the warm welcome waiting at the door. As ExtraFood volunteers arrive with rescued groceries, a rush of HAFP volunteers quickly gathers to help unload donations, sort food, and share heartfelt thanks. The energy is immediate—busy, joyful, and deeply community-centered.

Since 1983, Haight Ashbury Food Program has been serving San Francisco residents with the belief that freedom from hunger should be a human right, not a privilege. Over the years, the organization has evolved from a soup kitchen into a vital neighborhood food pantry, providing consistent support to hundreds of community members each week.

Rain or shine, HAFP’s dedicated volunteer team shows up. Every Saturday, 40 to 50 volunteers of all ages work together to receive, organize, and distribute food throughout the Haight Ashbury community. Some volunteers have even been serving with the program for more than a decade, creating a strong sense of continuity, care, and connection.

HAFP receives staple produce from the food bank to distribute to approximately 225 people each week. But according to Pantry Manager Robert, ExtraFood donations help elevate both the quality and variety of groceries available to pantry visitors.

“ExtraFood donations really make a difference,” says Robert. “The difference of going home with between one to two meals, to now three to four meals—it really does help.”

Through ExtraFood’s food recovery network, HAFP receives donations from partners like Whole Foods, Bob’s Donuts, Trader Joe’s, and many others. These rescued foods provide pantry visitors with access to additional proteins, deli items, baked goods, prepared foods, and fresh groceries that would otherwise be difficult to provide consistently.

The impact goes beyond nutrition. The pantry has become a gathering place where neighbors connect, volunteers build relationships, and people are treated with dignity and warmth.

At ExtraFood, partnerships like this are at the heart of what we do. Recovering surplus food is only possible because of recipient partners like HAFP that work tirelessly to ensure good food reaches the people who need it most.

We are incredibly grateful to Haight Ashbury Food Program and its volunteers for their years of dedication, compassion, and partnership—and for helping turn rescued food into meals, support, and community.