Redwood Credit Union introduces new porch-to-pantry food drive model in SF and North Bay

NORTH COAST, Calif. — As food insecurity continues to rise across the North Bay, Redwood Credit Union, or RCU, is stepping up to make donating easier than ever.

This holiday season, RCU is collaborating with A Simple Gesture, or ASG, a nonprofit startup, to expand and introduce a “porch-to-pantry” doorstep food collection model for North Bay communities and San Francisco. 

The food drive runs through Dec. 19 and is a powerful and convenient way to help ease the hardships caused by the persisting government shutdown and the funding cuts to food banks and safety net services.

By enabling donors to give right from their doorstep, RCU is making it simple and easy to mobilize neighbors to support one another. Community members can sign up to donate at any RCU branch or online at this link. 

On Dec. 13, volunteers will pick up the shelf-stable food from donors’ homes and deliver them to local food banks and pantries. Food donations after Dec. 13 can be made directly to food banks.

“Supporting essential human needs like food security has been a priority for RCU for decades, and right now, it’s more important than ever,” says Brett Martinez, president & CEO of Redwood Credit Union. “We know from experience that our community wants to help when there’s a need — so we want to make it easy for them to engage and support. This innovative porch-to-pantry food drive makes it simple and convenient for people to donate and know they're making a difference.”

Through its community giving efforts, RCU has donated more than $250,000 to local organizations working to combat food insecurity in 2025 alone. 

In addition, RCU team members volunteer monthly at local food banks to help meet the needs of those facing hunger. 

Before the government shutdown, Martinez saw the need for food increasing and took initiative, launching this new food drive model and utilizing a nonprofit startup and technology to scale it into a viable, community-wide solution. 

With current conditions intensifying food insecurity, the timing of this initiative has proven both urgent and essential.

Volunteers for the food drive will pick up the donations and deliver them to a partner food bank in the area. These include SF-Marin Food Bank, Redwood Empire Food Bank and Community Action of Napa Valley. 

This year’s food drive is more than a seasonal effort. It is a broader commitment from RCU to build a scalable, sustainable solution to fight hunger, and to create lasting solutions and empower our neighbors to support one another.