Our Mission
The Merced County Food Bank plays a critical role in maintaining and improving the health of low-income and food insecure populations in Merced & Mariposa Counties.
How the Food Bank Works
The Merced County Food Bank, a member of the Feeding America Network, secures donations from food and grocery manufacturers, retailers, shippers, packers, growers, and from government agencies, individuals and other organizations.
Struggling to make your groceries stretch throughout the month?
If you or your dependent
is a Medi-Cal member, you may qualify to receive two free food boxes every month — filled with pantry staples to help you keep nutritious meals on the table.
Call us at 209-726-FOOD (3663)
or email bridgetm@mmcfb.org to sign up.
*No mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing/promotional purposes.
The World Has Heart: Fighting Hunger One Heart at a Time
You did it!
What started as a creative idea from local artist and longtime Merced County Food Bank supporter Monika Modest has officially exceeded its goal, raising $51,684 to help fight hunger in our community.
Monika is no stranger to bringing people together through art. From the beloved Poppies Galore installation at Bob Hart Square to countless community projects, she has always found ways to create beauty, connection, and joy.
With The World Has Heart, Monika combined her artistic talents with her desire to help others. Through handcrafted clay hearts, workshops, and community participation, she invited people to share a little love while helping neighbors facing food insecurity.
The response showed exactly what Monika hoped it would: people care, and they’re willing to show it.
Hearts from this project have found homes across the country and around the world. Each one carries a simple message of kindness, connection, and hope.
To everyone who attended a workshop, glazed a heart, purchased a heart, shared the project with friends, or made a donation: thank you. This incredible accomplishment belongs to all of you.
A special thank you to Monika for dreaming up this beautiful project and sharing her talent, creativity, and heart with our community.
And if you’ve followed Monika’s work over the years, you know she’s always thinking of new ways to bring people together. Stay tuned. We have a feeling this isn’t the last time she’ll inspire our community to make a difference.
🎥 Watch the video to learn more, then click “Donate” to support The World Has Heart project.
Letter to the Editor
Merced Sun Star
May 23, 2025
Dear Editor,
Right now, the Merced County Food Bank is serving over 41,000 food insecure people/households
each month—an increase of 17% compared to 2023. The need in our community continues to grow,
driven by inflation, rising costs of goods and services, and economic uncertainty.
Yet at this critical time, California’s food banks are facing a double threat: a 90% cut to state
funding for the CalFood program, and unprecedented federal cuts to SNAP (CalFresh). These
programs are lifelines for low–income families, seniors, children, and individuals with chronic health
issues or disabilities—those who are most at risk of going hungry.
We are urging Governor Newsom and our legislators to act now by sustaining funding for the
CalFood program at $60M, a level that was set during the pandemic – because the number of people
facing food insecurity in California is higher today than ever before.
This funding is essential to keeping our local food bank stocked and operational, by allowing us to
purchase California–grown produce and rarely donated items. At the Merced County Food Bank we
use CalFood to partner with local producers to buy meat, dairy, eggs, fresh fruits and vegetables,
shelf–stable pantry staples, etc., also supporting the local agricultural and food economy. Without this
program, we wouldn’t be able to provide the same quality or variety of culturally relevant foods that
give our community the dignity and quality of life that every person deserves.
If CalFood is not sustained at $60M in this year’s state budget, our food bank—and others across
California—will not be able to fill the gap. That means more people in our community will be forced
to go without the food they need to thrive.
Bill Gibbs
Executive Director
Billg@mmcfb.org
What is the Merced County Food Bank Food Literacy Program?
The Merced County Food Bank Food Literacy Program is designed to educate individuals and communities about food and its impact on their lives.
2024–2025 Annual Report
Annual Reports & Financials
View current and past annual reports and financial statements for the Merced County Food Bank.
