By Allison Eckert and Grace Kellison
Over the years, Northern California has experienced catastrophic wildfires, landslides, persistent drought, the pandemic, and economic downturns that put enormous pressure on the local food system and emergency food aid programs. Following years of thoughtful deliberation, research, and grant development by leading regional experts, the California North Coast Emergency Food System Partnership project was successfully funded and launched in 2022. The project aims to create an emergency food network across six Northern California counties, including Sonoma County.
As the foundation of this project, local level Community-Based Food Networks (CBFNs) are being established around the region. We at Petaluma Bounty are honored to serve as coordinators of the CBFN for southern Sonoma County. This vibrant local coalition is working to build a more resilient food system in Sonoma County Supervisorial District 2, which includes Petaluma, Cotati, a portion of Rohnert Park, Penngrove, and parts of unincorporated community south of Sebastopol.
From grassroots responses to regional coordination
Our District 2 CBFN is a collective of food security organizations, food producers, human services providers, and community leaders. Together, we’re mapping the assets and service gaps in our region, to start. Through collaboration, we aim to strengthen and regionalize our food system so we can better address chronic hunger and enhance emergency preparedness across our communities.
The CBFN concept didn’t just spout overnight. The project was inspired by yearslong grass-roots collaborations among agencies and individuals helping feed our neighbors during successive disasters including wildfires, floods, and the Covid-19 pandemic. In late 2022, after years of behind-the-scenes efforts, U.C. Cooperative Extension successfully secured USDA funding for the California North Coast Emergency Food System Partnership project, with which CBFNs were launched. In each of our five Sonoma County Supervisorial Districts, CBFNs will knit together food resource assets and community needs to help shore up disaster preparedness and anti-hunger efforts.
Why focus on food rescue
A major focus of our District 2 CBFN is food rescue. While over 40 percent of food in the U.S. goes to waste, 33 percent of Sonoma County residents lack access to three healthy meals a day. Petaluma Bounty’s Bounty Hunters gleaning program team, along with our partners in the Sonoma County Food Recovery Coalition (SCFRC), are tackling this challenge by recovering surplus food and redirecting it to local food pantries, turning food waste into food access.
The SCFRC is a collective of organizations and individuals working to increase food recovery and reduce food waste for greater community connectedness and resilience. The SCFRC strives to reinvigorate the sharing ethic and strengthen community connections. Members are engaged in work that spans Sonoma County.
Social media campaigns launched
As District 2 CBFN gears up for its official launch later this summer, we at Petaluma Bounty have hit the ground running. In an effort led by Allison Eckert, Petaluma Bounty’s community resources coordinator, and intern Grace Kellison, we launched Instagram and Facebook accounts for the SCFRN. These social media accounts highlight local food rescue volunteer opportunities, food waste prevention tips, and resources to help our community be outstanding stewards of Sonoma County’s natural bounty. Funding from the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, Zero Waste Sonoma, and the USDA helped make this happen.
Cultivating an active informational campaign has been a long-term goal of the SCFRN. The social media posts reflect nearly a decade of previous work envisioning what a campaign might look like, in terms of content, audience, and platform. The longstanding vision was adapted into accessible media templates designed to communicate food recovery to a household audience. Member organizations of FRC were informed and involved each step of the way leading up to the launch, providing critical feedback on the accessibility and clarity of content.
Follow and share our accounts!
With our biweekly postings, the Sonoma County Food Recovery Coalition’s previously dormant Facebook page has been successfully reactivated, and a new Instagram page has been launched. Since May 2025, nearly 3,300 accounts have been reached through the Facebook platform alone, with over 4,700 views.
The SCFRC is very excited about the potential to broadcast the incredible work done by each member organization, while highlighting ways the public can incorporate aspects of food recovery into daily life.
To help support our efforts to build up these platforms, we invite community members to follow and share! Find us on Facebook @Scofrc and on Instagram @SonomaFoodRecovery.