The Yuba-Sutter Food Bank announced this week that it partnered with Yuba County foothills company Yubakami to provide fresh produce to Yuba County seniors participating in the Senior Delivery Program, previously known as the Homebound Delivery Program.
Yubakami is composed of local farmers in the county who grow “nutritionally rich, healthy, primarily organic, fruits and vegetables,” according to Michelle Downing, CEO of Yuba-Sutter Food Bank.
“This partnership increases the access to locally grown produce by getting healthier foods to low-income seniors and, in addition, contributes to improving the local food system,” Downing said in a statement. “I am happy we can utilize grant funding to provide nutritious food and support our local farmers.”
The partnership with Yubakami, which started Monday, is expected to continue through Oct. 31. The goal, Downing said, is to deliver 160 bags of produce weekly.
Downing said Yubakami “will deliver seasonally fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables, approximately 12 to 15 pounds” and half a dozen eggs to Yuba County seniors who participate in the Senior Delivery Program.
“The partnership between the Yuba-Sutter Food Bank and Yubakami gives impetus to small local farmers to expand their plantings: to levels that make them profitable,” Yubakami owner Steven Dambeck said in a statement. “And it helps meet a core mission we share: to make delicious, nutrient-dense produce available to everyone in our community.”
Downing said the Yuba-Sutter Food Bank Homebound Delivery Program began during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure “vulnerable, at-risk seniors in Yuba and Sutter counties had access to nutritious food.”
