To meet the urgent needs for food during this crisis, Clif Bar & Company has donated 14 million CLIF®, CLIF Kid®, and LUNA® Bar bars across the country. Clif distributed a first wave of seven million bars to frontline health care workers and first responders, and a second wave of an additional seven million bars went to U.S. counties most affected by food scarcity exacerbated by the pandemic.
In response to local school closures and to support families who depend on school meals, Clif also opened Kali’s, the employee café at its headquarters in Emeryville, Calif., as a community kitchen. Executive Chef Scott Erickson and the Clif culinary team prepared up to 400 meals per week for staff and volunteers who manage the Oakland Unified School District’s (OUSD) 22 local food distribution sites. Home to more than 50,000 public school students, 71% of OUSD students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
“Through the spring and summer in our grab and go service, we served almost 3.9 million student meals and another half-million adult meals,” said Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell, Superintendent, OUSD. “We could not do this without the generosity of community partners like Clif Bar who have stepped up in a huge way to support Oakland’s children and families.”
In addition to providing prepared meals from Kali’s, Clif Bar donated nearly 700,000 bars to OUSD.
As part of the Kali’s Community Kitchen program, Clif Bar teamed up with the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation (ELP), a nonprofit organization founded by Stephen and Ayesha Curry. Clif donated one million bars to ELP to direct to food banks and other local nonprofit organizations. Kali’s Community Kitchen also served one of Ayesha’s recipes, Baked Penne Primavera, from The Full Plate, her new cookbook available in September.
Clif Bar & Company is grateful to work with the following organizations to support families in need.
You can help by joining us in this effort. Contributing money, offering volunteer hours or making in-kind donations to these organizations or to school districts and food banks in your community is a great place to start.
California-Based Organizations:
Alameda County Community Food Bank – Clif has been a longtime partner of the Alameda County Community Food Bank, serving the local community where the company is based.
California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services – Clif Bar provided one million bars to be distributed throughout the California Foodbank system to feed families.
Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation (ELP) - a nonprofit organization led by Stephen and Ayesha Curry based in Oakland, Calif. ELP is committed to unlocking the amazing potential of every child by fighting to end childhood hunger.
Foodlink of Tulare County – the Exeter, Calif.-based food bank promotes access to nutritious, healthy food in a region where many agricultural workers reside.
Homies Empowerment – a youth and community development organization based in Oakland, Calif. operates the FREEdom Store, providing meals and other essential items to 1,800 community members each week.
Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) – supports 50,000 K-12 public school students.
COVID-19 Relief Fund for Oakland Students and Schools – A program of the Oakland Education Fund that is providing meals and financial support for vulnerable families during the pandemic.
Oakland Undivided - a citywide initiative to support Oakland public school students with home technology access.
Organizations Outside of California:
Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals – a North American nonprofit organization that raises funds for children's hospitals, medical research, and community awareness of children's health issues. Clif was connected with CMN Hospitals through Shawn Johnson East and Andrew East.
The Store (Nashville, Tenn.) – inspired by Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, The Store operates as a year-round free grocery store offering a healthy food shopping experience.
Indianapolis Parks & Recreation - Indy Parks and Recreation provides parks, greenspaces, trails, and recreation opportunities for Marion County residents and visitors. It also provides a range of sports, art, education, and recreation programs and more than 3,000 programs throughout the year. Clif was connected with Indy Parks and Recreation through Reggie Miller.
Camp Southern Ground – Started by Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band, the mission of Camp Southern Ground is to provide extraordinary experiences for individuals to recognize and magnify the unique gifts within themselves and others to profoundly impact the world.
REVERB – a national nonprofit that harnesses this power to inspire millions of music lovers and music makers to take part in tackling today’s most pressing environmental and social issues. Clif has been working with Reverb’s Quarantine Kitchen, a video series hosted by REVERB Co-Director and Guster guitarist/singer Adam Gardner with guest chefs teaching us sustainable recipes and chatting about food, music, and the environment.
Clif has also donated to food banks and other local nonprofit organizations in Twin Falls, Idaho and Indianapolis, Indiana where the company’s bakeries are located.
References
- According to a survey by the Hamilton Project, the economic policy initiative of the Brookings Institute