Santa Barbara County · Food Rescue & Community Distribution
Donations
Deliveries
Community Impact
Distribution efficiency reached 104.4% — 86,291 lbs delivered against 82,688 lbs donated. The overage reflects same-day pass-through pickups and month-timing, not a data error.
Babe Warehouse and SYSCO together contributed 50.4% of all donations (41,650 lbs), consistent with the concentration risk flagged in recent months.
Fresh produce (Produce + Packaged Produce) accounted for 69.6% of donations and 71.2% of deliveries — a nutritionally strong ratio for the month.
Unlike June's even four-corridor split, July delivery volume leaned heavily toward Santa Maria/Orcutt (35.4%), with Lompoc (29.3%), Santa Barbara/Goleta (19.1%), and Santa Ynez Valley (16.3%) trailing.
Olga and Kevin together handled 74.1% of delivery pounds. Olga's average load (633 lbs/delivery) is nearly double Kevin's (370 lbs/delivery), reflecting her heavier-vehicle, SYSCO-focused route.
Shepherd Giving Farm contributed 6,564 lbs across 10 pickups, up from 5,238 lbs/8 pickups in June — moving up to our #4 donor by volume in its second full month as a tracked partner.
| # | Donor | Region / Source | Volume (lbs) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Babe Warehouse | Santa Maria | 23,950 | |
| 2 | SYSCO | Oxnard | 17,700 | |
| 3 | Babe Farms, Inc. | Santa Maria | 10,539 | |
| 4 | Shepherd Giving Farm | Lompoc | 6,564 | |
| 5 | Trader Joe's – De La Vina | Santa Barbara | 5,335 | |
| 6 | Tutti Frutti Farms | Santa Ynez | 4,071 | |
| 7 | Hollandia Produce | Carpinteria | 2,223 | |
| 8 | Los Olivos Café Farm | Santa Ynez | 1,693 | |
| 9 | Chavez Family Farm | Santa Ynez | 1,019 | |
| 10 | Backyard Gleaning | Santa Maria | 926 |
| # | Recipient Organization | Service Region | Volume (lbs) | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Food Forward | Los Angeles | 19,975 | |
| 2 | Catholic Charities FP – Santa Maria | Santa Maria | 15,928 | |
| 3 | BSC – Buellton Senior Center | Santa Ynez | 6,911 | |
| 4 | Catholic Charities FP – Lompoc | Lompoc | 6,156 | |
| 5 | Casa de la Raza | Santa Barbara | 5,869 | |
| 6 | Micah Mission | Lompoc | 4,391 | |
| 7 | Bridge House | Lompoc | 3,454 | |
| 8 | Foodbank SBC – North County Sharehouse | Santa Maria | 2,640 | |
| 9 | Guadalupe Senior Center | Santa Maria | 2,500 | |
| 10 | Salvation Army – Santa Maria | Santa Maria | 2,275 |
At 4.2 lbs CO₂ prevented per pound of food delivered, July's 86,291 lbs redirected 181.2 metric tons of greenhouse gas equivalent away from landfill decomposition pathways.
Over 61,699 lbs of fresh produce (including packaged produce) reached community kitchens and food pantries this month, 71.2% of all deliveries.
Using the 1.2 lbs/meal standard, July's deliveries supported an estimated 71,909 individual meals, roughly 2,320 meals per day across all service corridors.
41 distinct nonprofit organizations received food this month: senior centers, food pantries, churches, and shelters, covering all four Santa Barbara County service corridors plus one out-of-region partnership delivery.
Babe Warehouse (29.0%) and SYSCO (21.4%) together contributed 50.4% of all donated pounds this month, consistent with the 50–66% concentration flagged in prior months. A loss of either relationship would be a material hit to volume.
On Jul 2, 22, and 31, a total of 21,075 lbs moved directly from donor to recipient the same day, bypassing normal routing. Two of these (19,975 lbs, from Babe Farms and Babe Warehouse) went to Food Forward in Los Angeles, our single largest recipient this month, and outside the normal four-corridor service area. This was due to extremely large one ingredient donations that are difficult to distribute in Santa Barbara County. Our relationship with Food Forward allows for us to handle these large one-item donations
Second consecutive month of growth: 6,564 lbs in July, up from 5,238 in June, on a steady twice-weekly pickup schedule and consistent load size (~656 lbs/pickup). This is the kind of donor diversification that reduces reliance on Babe Warehouse and SYSCO.
After June's most even four-corridor split in recent months, July delivery volume tilted back toward Santa Maria/Orcutt (35.4%), with Santa Ynez Valley trailing at just 16.3%. Worth watching whether this is a one-month swing or the start of a pattern.
Olga and Kevin together handled 74.1% of delivery pounds. Olga's average load per stop (633 lbs) is nearly double Kevin's (370 lbs), driven by her SYSCO and larger-vehicle routes, a pattern consistent with June. This concentration creates operational fragility if Olga is unavailable.
July's fresh food ratio (produce + packaged produce) of 69.6% on donations and 71.2% on deliveries continues the strong nutritional outcomes seen in June (68.0%/66.1%), well above typical packaged-goods-heavy months.