Mercy Brown Bag Program

What Mercy Brown Bag Program does

Mercy Brown Bag Program is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food distribution organization founded in 1982 by senior residents of the Mercy Retirement and Care Center in Oakland, California, and operating as a program under parent organization Elder Care Alliance. The organization provides free nutritious groceries twice a month to more than 10,000 acutely low-income seniors aged 60 and older across Alameda County, serving households with income at or below 232% of the federal poverty line. Distribution is delivered through four primary channels: a network of 82 food distribution partner sites in 13 cities, a Mobile Grocery Truck that operates five days a week and feeds 2,700 people per month in San Leandro, Hayward, and Oakland, the CommonSpirit Health Grocery Store at Mercy Retirement and Care Center averaging 2,400 monthly shoppers, and a Food as Medicine program that aligns bag contents with USDA good food guidelines and increased fresh produce share from 47% to 57% over three years. The organization relies entirely on donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations, maintains less than 5% administrative overhead, and coordinates with the Alameda County Senior Services Coalition, the Alameda County Community Food Bank, CommonSpirit Health, and more than 40 community-based organizations.

Name

Mercy Brown Bag Program

Legal name

Mercy Brown Bag Program

Website

https://mercybrownbag.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mercy Brown Bag Program is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that distributes free nutritious groceries twice monthly to over 10,000 low-income seniors aged 60 and older across 13 cities in Alameda County through 82 sites, a mobile truck, and a grocery store.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Contributions: Mercy Brown Bag operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies entirely on donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations to fund its food distribution operations. The organization receives contributions through its website, fundraisers, and direct mail campaigns.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Mercy Brown Bag Program is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that distributes free nutritious grocery bags to low-income seniors aged 60 and older in Alameda County, twice monthly, through 82 partner distribution sites, a mobile grocery truck, and a fixed-location grocery store. The organization serves over 10,000 seniors across 13 cities and distributes approximately 2.4 million pounds of food annually, operating with less than 5% administrative overhead and relying entirely on donations, volunteers, and community partnerships.

Product overview

Mercy Brown Bag Program is a nonprofit food distribution organization operating as a single unified service model centered on providing free groceries to food-insecure seniors. The organization operates three distinct programs: the Mobile Grocery Truck (mobile farmers market-style distribution reaching 2,700+ people monthly), the CommonSpirit Health Grocery Store (a fixed-location senior shopping venue averaging 2,400 monthly shoppers), and the Food as Medicine program (nutrition-focused distribution emphasizing fresh produce and proteins). These programs collectively serve over 10,000 low-income seniors twice monthly through 82 distribution sites across 13 cities in Alameda County, with the core Brown Bag Grocery Distribution serving as the foundational service upon which the specialized programs are built.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mobile Grocery Truck: Mobile food distribution truck that feeds over 2,700 people per month, operating five days a week at senior centers and residences in San Leandro, Hayward, and Oakland.
• CommonSpirit Health Grocery Store
• Food As Medicine

Products and services

• Brown Bag Grocery Distribution Free, nutritious grocery bag distribution to over 10,000 low-income seniors across 13 cities from 82 distribution sites in Alameda County, twice a month. Each bag contains fresh produce, proteins, dairy, and shelf-stable goods and is provided at no cost to eligible seniors aged 60+ with household income at or below 232% of the federal poverty line.
• Mobile Grocery Truck A mobile food distribution service that brings groceries directly to senior centers and senior residences in San Leandro, Hayward, and Oakland, where seniors 'shop' farmers market style by selecting fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains.
• CommonSpirit Health Grocery Store A senior grocery shopping venue located at Mercy Retirement and Care Center in Oakland's Fruitvale district, open Monday–Friday 10am–2pm, where seniors fill grocery bags twice monthly with fresh produce, proteins, and shelf-stable goods.
• Food as Medicine A nutrition-focused program providing Alameda County seniors with grocery bags emphasizing fresh fruits and vegetables (57% of contents), lean proteins (20%), dairy, and shelf-stable goods that meet USDA good food guidelines to help manage chronic health conditions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Feeds over 10,000 acutely low-income seniors every month
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• StopWasteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to implement sustainable practices. Together they've implemented a reusable bag initiative to reduce waste and create a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective operation.
• Alameda County Community Food BankcoreOthersKey partner in the food distribution network serving Alameda County seniors.
• Alameda County Senior Services CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of 40 community-based organizations that Mercy Brown Bag coordinates with for advocacy on behalf of hungry seniors.
• United Seniors of Alameda CountyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization that Mercy Brown Bag partners with and meets regularly with other nutrition providers organized by this group.
• CommonSpirit HealthcoreOthersNaming sponsor of the grocery store located at Mercy Retirement and Care Center. The CommonSpirit Health Grocery Store opened in 2022.
• Elder Care AlliancecoreOthersParent organization of Mercy Brown Bag. Mercy Brown Bag is part of Elder Care Alliance, a senior living and care organization.
• Transforming AgeminorOthersSupporting organization that provides support to Mercy Brown Bag as indicated by footer branding.
• Creekside CommunityminorOthersChurch in San Leandro that partnered with Mercy Brown Bag for fundraising events.
• Alameda County Food BankminorOthersRelated food bank organization where volunteer Mark Hess previously volunteered before joining Mercy Brown Bag.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Meals on Wheels America: National nonprofit network delivering meals directly to seniors in need across the US. Closely comparable mission to Mercy Brown Bag in providing food assistance to low-income older adults, though delivered via home delivery rather than centralized distribution.
• Project Open Hand: San Francisco-based nonprofit providing meals and groceries to seniors and people living with serious illness. Highly comparable in mission (senior/illness food assistance), Bay Area geography, and combination of congregate and delivered services.
• God's Love We Deliver: New York City nonprofit that cooks and home-delivers medically tailored meals to people living with serious illness, including seniors. Comparable in combining nutrition-focused food distribution with health-oriented mission and volunteer-driven operations.
• Alameda County Community Food Bank: Regional food bank serving Alameda County, the same geography Mercy Brown Bag operates in. Direct operational peer as a food distribution organization; also an active Mercy Brown Bag partner.
• San Francisco-Marin Food Bank: Regional food bank serving San Francisco and Marin counties. Comparable in food distribution model, Bay Area operating environment, and pantries/programs aimed at low-income households including seniors.
• Senior Gleaners: Sacramento-area nonprofit that collects and distributes food specifically to seniors in need. Highly comparable in senior-focused food assistance model and Northern California operating context.
• City Harvest: New York City food rescue organization distributing food to those in need. Comparable in food rescue/redistribution model and mission to address food insecurity among vulnerable populations.
• Island Harvest: Long Island-based food bank collecting and distributing food to those in need. Comparable in food bank operating model, volunteer-driven distribution, and pantries/programs serving low-income households.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National umbrella network of 200+ food banks. Comparable mission (ending hunger through food distribution) but operates at vastly larger scale and across all demographics, not specialized to seniors.

Regional players

• Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano: Regional food bank serving neighboring Bay Area counties. Comparable as a food distribution nonprofit, with overlapping donor and volunteer pools but serving a different geography than Mercy Brown Bag.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@eldercarealliance2512
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mercy-brown-bag-program
• Instagraminstagram.com/mercy_brown_bag
• Facebookfacebook.com/mercybrownbag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mercy Brown Bag Program