Operation Feed California: California’s Model of Volunteerism in Action
by Josh Fryday, California Chief Service Officer
Solving California’s greatest challenges is possible when every Californian contributes in the way they are able. Every contribution, no matter how large or small, is valued. This philosophy underpins California Volunteers, Office of the Governor ‘s dedication to harnessing the power of service to solve our state’s greatest challenges.
When 40 million Californians — people of different bckgrounds, perspectives, and beliefs — join together, there’s nothing we cannot achieve. Unfortunately, our daily lives don’t often foster these connections; it is the role of California Volunteers to help Californians reconnect to each other, our communities, and our larger, diverse society through service and volunteerism.
Operation Feed California — our powerful response to the intractable crisis of hunger in California, exacerbated by COVID-19 — is a prime example of how our unique approach to civic engagement can maximize connections and help Californians in need. We describe this approach as a “pyramid of civic engagement.”
This model can be applied to a multitude of issues we face in civic society and California Volunteers is committed to applying this approach to tackle some of our greatest challenges, including climate change, education disparities, and disaster preparation.
The Pyramid of Civic Engagement
The pyramid of civic engagement shows how all Californians can contribute- whether you have an hour to give, or a year to give:
Serve — Structured opportunities for service include yearlong, semester, and summer AmeriCorps terms in which members devote their time and talents to build capacity and meet community needs.
Volunteer — Volunteering opportunities require less time than structured service opportunities but are nonetheless invaluable in supporting community-based organizations across California.
Take Action — This is the widest piece of the pyramid that offers opportunities for almost every Californian to contribute to solving community problems. These actions may be in their own homes and neighborhoods and on their own time.
The pyramid reminds us multiple entry points and commitment levels enable the greatest number of Californians to come together and act to meet community needs.
The Pyramid in Action: Operation Feed California
The best way to demonstrate the pyramid approach is to explain the California Volunteers-led program, Operation Feed California.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, food banks experienced a dramatic increase in food demand while the consistent, older volunteers who once filled food bank warehouses needed to stay home to protect their own and the public health. The result was many food banks more than doubling the number of clients served in a single month with a deficit of volunteers to assist with distribution.
Knowing the COVID-19 pandemic would not only immediately affect hunger of Californians who lost jobs and income streams, but would continue to affect thousands for years to come, California Volunteers understood our mission: get food to hungry people immediately and increase the capacity of food banks to meet the increased need.
Operation Feed California was born. To address the immediate logistical need presented by the incredible demand for nutrition, the California National Guard was deployed to 36 food bank sites in 32 counties across the state. In the intermediate term, California Volunteers deployed a cohort of 45 AmeriCorps VISTA members devoted to building capacity of local organizations to build and sustain volunteer infrastructure. At the top of the engagement pyramid, National Guard and AmeriCorps VISTA members were critical to supporting organizations in addressing unprecedented challenges.
Simultaneously, California Volunteers renewed Governor Newsom’s call to service during the pandemic, #CaliforniansForAll, to prioritize volunteerism at food banks. More than 50,000 Californians stepped into these “middle” roles in the engagement pyramid.
While not all Californians would be able to participate at in-person volunteer events, we developed our “bottom of the pyramid” Neighbor-to-Neighbor approach, calling on Californians to be of service to their neighbors and communities. Through our partnership with Nextdoor, neighbors supported the effort to get food to those in need by making meals for elderly or struggling neighbors, delivering groceries and supplies to isolated community members, and offering other support when needed, all the while building a stronger sense of community.
In my role as Chief Service Officer, I have had the privilege to participate in events with this incredible coalition at many food banks across the state. At a food distribution in Alameda County, I met Megan, who had recently lost her theater job due to the pandemic. She heard the Governor’s #CaliforniansForAll call to action, and joined Operation Feed California, where our team connected her to the Alameda County Community Food Bank. Having seen Megan volunteering at multiple shifts and working with Guard, VISTA members, and other volunteers, the food bank was so impressed with Megan’s work ethic and devotion to her community that they offered her a paid position at the site. Megan’s story is profound, a story in which we can see the benefits to both the community and the individual who is serving. Throughout the year, we began to hear more and more stories like Megan’s; Californians are finding their passions and starting careers through service.
California National Guard and volunteers pose for a photo after a food boxing volunteer shift at Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.
Since Operation Feed California’s inception, we have collectively served over one billion meals to Californians in need. While this number reflects Californians still struggle to make ends meet, there is no doubt the tremendous efforts of our service members, volunteers, partners, and neighborhood leaders who immediately jumped into action were critical to meeting an unprecedented need.
The successes of Operation Feed California are due to the collaborative and connected nature of our work — service members managing volunteers, volunteers serving regularly to give back to their communities, and neighbors acting at home to meet basic needs. At most food bank distributions, you will find Californians from all backgrounds working together to feed their community.
Whether it’s partnering with governments at all levels to respond to disasters or creating life-changing opportunities for young people, California Volunteers knows the pyramid of civic engagement will help solve our State’s most pressing challenges and instill a culture of connection and service across the state. Whether someone has an hour on a Saturday to make a meal for a neighbor, or an entire year to devote to capacity building at a nonprofit, there is a role for everyone to play in solving our greatest challenges, together.
Help us strengthen and build these ecosystems across the state. Visit CaliforniansForAll.ca.gov to learn more about our work and how you can get involved.
Originally published at https://medium.com on December 15, 2021.
