This year, Bayside has a goal of raising $100,000 for our 2025 End of Year Campaign to sustain our food security work and meet the increasing demand for services in Linda Vista over the upcoming year. As part of our campaign, we’d like to introduce you to Bayside’s Faces of Food Security. Thanks to the generous support from The Cushman Foundation, we were able to capture the images through the amazing work of Rich Soublet, a local photographer with a knack for capturing the beauty in the individual. We’ve also gone one step beyond to share some of the stories of our beloved clients. We are excited to share these client profiles with you, so that you can know the individuals who you are directly impacting with your donations.
Food Distribution
Over the last two years, the number of clients accessing Bayside’s weekly food distribution has doubled. We serve well over 100 families each week with a mix of fresh produce locally sourced (e.g., Bayside’s gardens, the Jacobs and Cushman Food Bank, Produce Good) and shelf stable food items. In a federally-defined food desert like Linda Vista, the food distribution is a lifeline for many low income, food insecure community members.
Home Delivery
Bayside provides a monthly home delivery of fresh produce and non-perishable food items to more than 15 homebound clients who are unable to get to our weekly food distribution. We bring the food to them. The deliveries not only ensure that clients have access to fresh, healthy, local produce, but they also serve as wellness checks on seniors, many of whom live alone.
Senior Lunch
An average of 40 clients frequent Bayside’s Senior Lunch Program each day where they are provided a hot, nutritious lunch. The congregate meal setting is not just a direct response to food insecurity among our aging population; it is also a solution to senior isolation. It is a place where friends gather to share conversation, laughs, and birthday and holiday celebrations around the table. For so many of our seniors, Bayside is a second home.
Video Series & Podcast
Spotlight on the Community Podcast with Drew Scholsberg
Adam Osorio, Associate Director of Communications at Bayside Community Center, and Kimberly Kustenmacher (KK), a community garden volunteer, discuss the center's mission to empower communities through services, education, and advocacy. KK shares her journey to volunteering through a QR code. Adam and KK talk about the Linda Vista Community Garden, addressing food deserts, and the importance of community engagement. Diana Gonzalez, a resident Leadership Academy graduate, joins Adam and Kimberly, to chat about the program's role in fostering community leadership. Listen to the full episode here.
