Volunteers at the Rio Linda Elverta Food Closet assist clients with their shopping experience on Oct. 23. Photo by Seth Henderson

RIO LINDA, CA (MPG) – As of September, more than 15,000 individuals have been fed every Tuesday and Thursday this year at the Rio Linda Elverta Food Closet from 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. or until everyone is served. 

Food closet coordinator Catherine Green said that a group of about 20 volunteers takes turns picking up approximately 9,000 pounds of food from five grocery stores in town, five days a week. Food and goods are donated from local grocery stores, allowing visitors to shop for their goods.

The secondhand food is held and refrigerated by the participating stores, if need be, Green said. 

The food closet, a nonprofit organization, has commercial refrigerators and freezers for items such as yogurt, milk, frozen dinners, soups, ice cream and more. As many as 275 individuals have visited the food closet in one day, Green said. Local farmers also donate their extra produce and the food closet receives fresh eggs or fruit from locals in the community.  

“During COVID, there were a lot of food banks that closed down, so we branched out to North Highlands and Antelope. And we have now since branched out to Natomas,” Green said. “We do 10 zip codes.”

The Rio Linda Elverta Food Closet serves Rio Linda, Elverta, Antelope, North Highlands and Natomas, Green said.

Visitors used a sign-in sheet upon arrival to claim a number, determining their place in line. Tens of individuals at any given time were outside of the entrance, waiting for their number to be called and communicating with other visitors. Some greeted each other with hugs and others offered their assistance.

Inside the Rio Linda Elverta Food Closet, clients are given a shopping cart while they shop for food items. Photo by Seth Henderson

“We actually serve everybody. So, sometimes we're open from 9:30 until 11:30 but we go probably until 12:30,” Green said. “We make sure everybody is fed.”

Jenni Moser, a volunteer with the food closet and the board secretary, said that most of the clientele for the food closet are either elderly, disabled, going through a rough financial patch or experiencing homelessness. She said that many of the same people come at least once a week and special accommodation is provided for those who might not have the ability to refrigerate or freeze their food. 

Moser said that staple items such as oil, flour, rice and beans are restricted by income qualification, but all other items at the food closet bear little to no requirement other than the zip code residency. Visitors can shop for their produce, meats and dairy items, as opposed to being given a pre-arranged grocery bag, Moser said. 

“People that go pick up the food and stuff, it's all our own gas or our own vehicle,” Moser said. “The stores, a lot of times, give us non-food stuff. We put it out for a garage sale
and so we have a garage sale on the first Saturday of every month.” 

Moser said the garage sales are popular and that the prices are low. Any food going bad at the food closet is picked up by ranchers or farmers to feed their pigs. All the food is weighed to keep track of all items and cataloged for stores or donors to be able to write off their donations during tax time.

Phyllis Ball, a longtime volunteer at the Rio Linda Elverta Food Closet, said she works in the dessert area and also prepares bags of food for the homeless, which include items such as sandwiches, bread, desserts and any other extra items donated. On Oct. 23, visitors could pick up different types of tamales.

Individuals wait in line at the Rio Linda Elverta Food Closet on Oct. 23 for an opportunity to "shop” among the closet’s food options. Photo by Seth Henderson

Each visitor receives a second number while shopping inside the closet, corresponding with the number of individuals in the shopper’s household. Ball said that larger numbers qualify for larger quantities or more bulk-sized items. 

Moser said that one of the food closet's most senior clients turned 104 during the fourth week of October.

“Another function of the food bank is it gets our clients out of their homes and provides them an opportunity to socialize,” Moser said. “Some of our elderly members get rides to the food bank and don't have a lot of other opportunities for socializing.”

The nonprofit Rio Linda Elverta Food Closet is helped by volunteers, donations from the community and fundraisers. The food closet is also an active participant during Rio Linda Farm and Tractor Days, Moser said, serving hamburger and hot dog meals. The Rio Linda Elverta Food Closet holds raffles “with tickets as tall as you” for $5 and its next event will be on Nov. 1 for its monthly garage sale on site.

The organization is currently in search of a volunteer to use their personal truck to pull the food closet’s trailer on Mondays from about 6 to 9 a.m. Moser said the volunteer would drive a crew of two or more to each participating grocery store and deliver the food back to the food closet.

The organization is also seeking a volunteer fundraising coordinator, managing donations and business relations. Moser said that grant writing is also a highly sought position for the food closet. 

At the Rio Linda Elverta Food Closet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to around noon, individuals can pick up various food items. Photo by Seth Henderson

To inquire about volunteering at the Rio Linda Elverta Food Closet, located at 151 Delano St., Elverta, reach out to Moser at 916-206-5433. To learn more about the food closet and stay up to date with the organization's latest information, visit its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RLEFoodCloset.