May 13, 2008

Dear Friends,

Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services (SFBFS) partners with many other organizations in order to better serve those individuals and families in need in our local community. Each month we host ‘Network Café’, a luncheon/meeting to bring together 30-40 other non-profit programs to share information and ideas. Our intention is that we will all be more knowledgeable about available services and therefore better equipped to give a higher level of assistance whether it is through us or by referral to another agency. For example, if a mother of a newborn visits our Mother-Baby Program in need of an infant car seat, we have the contact through California Highway Patrol to assist in securing a new car seat for her baby. Another result of this gathering is to minimize the duplication of services and work towards the relations being as effective as possible. Network Café allows our organization to feel confident that when we refer our clients to outside agencies they receive quality care. We thank SMUD for the sponsorship of Network Café.

Another important affiliation that produces results is with SMUD’s EnergyHelp Bill Assistance Program. In the past year we assisted over 1,300 families with over $200,000 through this EnergyHelp Program. These families received much needed help with their electric bills and were given the opportunity to receive assistance through our other 11 programs. Many received groceries, mother-baby supplies, clothes and other resources as a result of this association.

Through our alliance with California State University Sacramento, UC Davis and Los Rios Community Colleges many enthusiastic students will perform volunteer work and receive internship credits for assisting us. This union is reciprocal. Our organization utilizes the skills and energy of young adults and in return they receive good work experience and credits toward their degrees. This makes our organization stronger and provides an opportunity for students to perform important community work. The students who work with us have been a blessing and our clients enjoy interacting with them.

Another tool is our Resource Central program, where we make available brochures and information from various agencies. Topics such as domestic violence, breast-feeding infants, basic nutrition and even bus schedules are included. By making as much information accessible to our clients as possible, we have a better opening to provide the help they need.

The goal of these links are to provide quality assistance for the people who want to improve their lives. They allow us to reach more people and to make available to them more resources that can be used to enrich their lives. One of the important partnerships we have is with the donors who make all of this possible. It is through your support and generosity that we can continue to find more avenues to help those who need it most.

With Gratitude,

Blake Young
President