Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank CEO, Casey Castillo, Elected to California Association of Food Banks' Board of Directors
May 22, 2023
The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank's CEO, Casey Castillo, was elected to serve on the California Association of Food Banks' Board of Directors at the organization's annual May meeting.California Association of Food Banks (CAFB) is comprised of 41 member food banks across the State of California, including the San Diego Food Bank. CAFB provides its member food banks with a range of support services, direct service programs and advocates for California's food banks at the state and federal level.
Commenting on Castillo's appointment, the CAFB's CEO, Stacia Hill Levenfeld said, "We are thrilled to have San Diego Food Bank CEO Casey Castillo join the California Association of Food Bank's Board of Directors to give voice to the anti-hunger work of the San Diego region and needs of food insecure San Diegans.""Casey's decades-long experience in food banking paired with an unwavering passion for his community will be an incredibly valuable addition to the board and we look forward to seeing what he and the entire board collectively achieve on behalf of CAFB, food banks, and our food-insecure community members."
The San Diego Food Bank's vital hunger-relief programs directly benefit from the support of the California Association of Food Banks in many ways, including participation in the CAFB's flagship Farm to Family Program. This program rescues fresh produce that does not meet strict size and appearance guidelines set in place by food retailers, but is otherwise, still safe for consumption and full of nutritional value. The produce is then diverted from farms to local food banks to be distributed to families in need while also, preventing food waste.
Last year, the San Diego Food Bank received more than 6.9 million pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables through the Farm to Family Program, which comprised about 48% of the total amount of fresh produce the Food Bank distributed to nourish local families and children facing hunger.
In addition to food programs, CAFB actively advocates at the state and federal level for anti-hunger legislation and hunger-relief programs. Among its legislative successes, CAFB led efforts to create the state's CalFood Program that provides tens of millions of pounds of California-produced food to the state's food banks. CAFB successfully advocated for polices to streamline CalFresh administration and enrollment, and co-sponsored legislation to prevent food waste by establishing state liability protections for food donors.
"The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank is tremendously grateful for everything the California Association of Food Banks has accomplished over the years to ensure families can access the food they need to thrive during difficult times and to support the food banks who serve them as a safe and reliable resource," said Castillo."As a San Diego Food Bank employee and a proud San Diegan, I am honored to serve on the California Association of Food Banks' board and look forward to working even more closely on critical policies and legislation to positively impact the lives of families facing food insecurity - not only in San Diego County, but also throughout the entire state. There is always more work to be done when it comes to addressing food insecurity, but I look forward to what we can achieve as an association."
The San Diego Food Bank has been an active member of the CAFB for more than 20 years. Castillo was appointed CEO of the San Diego Food Bank in May 2022 and has served as a participating member on the CAFB's Farm to Family Committee and Audit Committee.
