Food Is Free Solano/Bay Area

About Food is Free Bay Area

Food is Free Bay Area (FIFBA) is a community-rooted nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that food is treated as a basic human right rather than a privilege. What began in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic as a grassroots response to the urgent need for access to fresh, healthy food has since grown into one of Solano County’s most trusted regional food access organizations.

At the height of the pandemic, FIFBA mobilized hundreds of volunteers to create a hyper-local food distribution network that could meet people where they were. Neighbors built food stands in front yards and community spaces, making it possible for families without transportation or time to attend large-scale distributions to still access nutritious food. Recognizing the enormous scale of need, FIFBA also stepped up to participate in the USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program. The organization established a major distribution hub at the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo, where truckloads of food were received and dispersed to grassroots partners across the region. By working with trusted local organizations, FIFBA honored the principle that communities know best how to serve their own neighbors. Over the course of the program, more than 3.3 million pounds of food were distributed across Solano County through a combination of direct distribution, volunteer delivery, and organizational partnerships.

As federal programs wound down, FIFBA pivoted quickly to ensure no one was left behind. The Solano Gleaning Initiative was born to capture “missed” food opportunities—produce left unharvested in fields, surplus food from grocers, and prepared food from partners that might otherwise be discarded. This evolved into FIFBA’s regional Food Rescue Program, which today prevents thousands of pounds of edible food from entering landfills while directly addressing hunger and reducing methane emissions.

From there, FIFBA launched the Park-It Market, a mobile mini farmers market designed to fill gaps in fresh food availability. Originally deployed to childcare centers, the program has since expanded to senior centers, libraries, healthcare sites, and community hubs. With bright tents, farm-fresh produce, and a welcoming atmosphere, the Park-It Market provides not only food but dignity and choice for those who attend.

FIFBA’s work has been recognized and supported through multiple competitive grants, including the No Kid Hungry annual grants, First 5 Solano grants, the Solano County Community Investment Fund and support from community foundations. Each award has fueled the organization’s capacity to innovate, partner, and grow while never losing sight of its grassroots heart.

Today, FIFBA operates three core programs:

• Direct Emergency Food Distribution at multiple sites throughout the county.

• Park-It Market, a mobile free farmers market reaching schools, seniors, families, and patients in healthcare settings.

• Regional Food Rescue, including the Solano Gleaning Initiative, which rescues edible food across the Bay Area and redirects it to communities in need.

These programs were built through sweat equity, volunteer power, and small grants—but their impact has been transformative. In 2024 alone, FIFBA served 56,755 households and 201,836 individuals, with an average of 23% of participants being seniors. That growth—more than 40% from the prior year—underscores both the scale of community need and the organization’s ability to meet it.

What sets FIFBA apart is its adaptability and its refusal to operate in silos. The organization consistently looks for gaps left by existing food assistance programs and designs solutions to close them. It partners across sectors—healthcare, education, senior services, and grassroots neighborhood networks—to ensure food gets to those who need it most, in ways that build dignity and community.

As FIFBA looks toward the future, the need is clear. Solano County continues to face high rates of food insecurity, and the infrastructure FIFBA has created must be sustained and expanded. With continued support from county leaders, foundations, and community partners, Food is Free Bay Area will not only maintain its essential programs but grow into its next phase—building a permanent hub for food rescue, expanding culturally relevant food programming, and ensuring every family has access to fresh, nutritious food.

Food is Free Bay Area is proof that from crisis can come innovation, from a single garden can grow a movement, and from community can emerge resilience.