Santa Barbara County · Food Rescue & Community Distribution
Donations
Deliveries
Community Impact
Distribution efficiency reached 100.2% — virtually all food donated was redistributed to community partners. The marginal 130 lb overage is within normal month-boundary variance.
SYSCO alone contributed 26,650 lbs (43.1%) of all donations this month. High single-source dependency warrants attention in donor diversification strategy.
Fresh produce (including Packaged Produce) accounted for 41.7% of donations — a nutritionally strong ratio. Packaged Produce includes labeled items such as kohlrabi, radishes, beets, carrots, and lettuce.
Lompoc received 23,106 lbs (37.3%) of all deliveries — the highest of any service region this month, driven by large transfers to Micah Mission, Catholic Charities, and Bridge House.
Olga handled 77.8% of donation pounds and 76.1% of delivery pounds. Kevin matched nearly the same run count but with significantly lower per-run volumes.
Shepherd Giving Farm has been added as a tracked donor partner. No donations under this exact designation appear in May 2026 data — future reports will parse SGF contributions separately.
| # | Donor | Region / Source | Volume (lbs) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SYSCO | Oxnard | 26,650 | |
| 2 | Babe Warehouse | Santa Maria | 8,198 | |
| 3 | Trader Joe's – De La Vina | Santa Barbara | 6,866 | |
| 4 | Food Forward | Ventura | 2,920 | |
| 5 | Bucket Brigade Yankee Farm | Santa Barbara | 2,137 | |
| 6 | Hollandia Produce | Carpinteria | 2,119 | |
| 7 | The Garden Of… | Santa Ynez | 1,549 | |
| 8 | Burkdoll Farm | Santa Barbara | 1,308 | |
| 9 | El Rancho Market | Santa Ynez | 1,000 | |
| 10 | Ralphs | Santa Barbara | 907 |
| # | Recipient Organization | Service Region | Volume (lbs) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catholic Charities FP – Santa Maria | Santa Maria | 10,646 | |
| 2 | BSC – Buellton Senior Center | Santa Ynez | 8,194 | |
| 3 | Micah Mission | Lompoc | 8,142 | |
| 4 | Casa de la Raza | Santa Barbara | 6,862 | |
| 5 | Catholic Charities FP – Lompoc | Lompoc | 5,541 | |
| 6 | Bridge House | Lompoc | 4,624 | |
| 7 | Friendship Manor | Santa Barbara | 3,919 | |
| 8 | Blooming Energy – Julia Sheperd | Lompoc | 2,820 | |
| 9 | People Helping People | Santa Ynez | 2,406 | |
| 10 | Lompoc Senior Center | Lompoc | 1,547 |
At 4.2 lbs CO₂ prevented per pound of food delivered, May's 62,001 lbs redirected 130.2 metric tons of greenhouse gas equivalent away from landfill decomposition pathways.
Over 25,971 lbs of fresh produce (including packaged produce items such as kohlrabi, radishes, beets, carrots, and citrus) reached community kitchens and food pantries this month.
Using the 1.2 lbs/meal standard, May's deliveries supported an estimated 51,668 individual meals — roughly 1,667 meals per day across all four service regions.
31 distinct nonprofit organizations received food this month — from senior centers and shelters to youth programs and faith-based food pantries — covering all four Santa Barbara County service corridors.
SYSCO contributed 43.1% of all donated pounds (26,650 lbs) this month — the highest single-source concentration recorded. While this relationship is a critical operational asset, its disruption would create a significant supply gap exceeding the combined output of the next four donors. This dependency warrants proactive risk management.
May's distribution efficiency of 100.2% — delivering effectively all donated food — is a strong operational result. The marginal 130 lb overage above donations reflects normal month-boundary flows and does not indicate a data error. This metric reflects the team's logistical execution and recipient network capacity.
Lompoc received 37.3% of May deliveries (23,106 lbs), substantially more than Santa Barbara/Goleta (24.2%), Santa Maria/Orcutt (20.5%), and Santa Ynez Valley (18.1%). While this may reflect legitimate need-based allocations or large institutional transfers (Blooming Energy, Lompoc Senior Center), the disparity should be examined in the context of equitable regional service.
Olga and Kevin had near-identical run counts (87 vs 83 pickups; 78 vs 52 deliveries), but Olga moved 3.7x Kevin's donation volume. This asymmetry is explained by Olga's large-truck SYSCO and multi-region routes. As volume grows, this concentration in one driver creates operational fragility if Olga is unavailable.
May's fresh food ratio (produce + packaged produce) of 41.7% on donations and 41.9% on deliveries is a strong outcome for nutritional equity. Diverse fresh items including strawberries, citrus, broccoli, carrots, beets, and watermelon indicate healthy seasonal variety. This metric is compelling for grant narratives around food security and nutrition access.
Beyond the top institutional donors, VR's network includes 20+ small local farms (Chavez Family Farm, Givens Farms, Burkdoll Farm, etc.) that contribute high-quality fresh produce across multiple pickups per week. This distributed farm network is a resilience asset and differentiator in grant applications.
Shepherd Giving Farm has been added to VR's tracked donor registry. No donations under this designation appear in May 2026 data. Two related "Shepherd" farms — Max Iniguez (Shepherd Farms) and Tom Shepherd Farms — contributed a combined 320 lbs via 9 pickups. Confirm with operations whether reclassification is needed.