San Lorenzo Family Help Center

What San Lorenzo Family Help Center does

San Lorenzo Family Help Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit food pantry and emergency food assistance organization founded in the late 1970s and headquartered at 20960 Corsair Blvd in Hayward, California, serving unincorporated areas of San Lorenzo, Ashland, Cherryland, Hayward Acres, Castro Valley, Fairview, Hayward, and south San Leandro (zip codes 94578 and 94579). The organization operates three integrated programs: an Onsite In-Store Pantry offering choice-based shopping by appointment, a Food Recovery Program that rescues surplus food from 21+ grocery, restaurant, and farmers market partners, and a forthcoming Mobile Pantry Truck service launching July 2026 to extend reach into transportation-underserved neighborhoods. In 2024 the organization served 1,604 unique families and rescued 373,078 pounds of food; in 2025 it added roughly 400 first-time clients and reached 1,104 monthly families by December, while more than 94% of clients are people of color and over 97% fall below the Federal Poverty Line.

The organization runs on a lean operating model with 7 paid staff and approximately 100 active volunteers, including a 470+ member youth volunteer pipeline via Global Leadership Initiatives for Youth (GLIFY). Revenue is grant-dependent, sourced from foundation grants (Alameda County CDBG $205K, Stopwaste.org $30K, Eden Health District, Kaiser Foundation, Altamount Education Advisory Board, Rotary Clubs), corporate giving (Whole Foods, Albertsons, Kaiser), in-kind food donations, food drives, and individual donations (tax-deductible, workplace matching available). Distribution operates through fixed-pantry appointments, a mobile van (temporarily paused), and a purpose-built Mobile Pantry Truck under construction by Farmers' Truck. There is no proprietary technology platform; operations rely on phone/text-based appointment scheduling, donor CRMs, and standard food bank logistics.

Service delivery is differentiated by a dignity-first store-like shopping model, culturally tailored food offerings (including Halal proteins supplied by Zakat Foundation of America and Samoan-appropriate foods), and integration with the Unite Us care-coordination network for Kaiser-referred clients needing nutrition support for medical recovery. Recent strategic activity has been focused on capacity expansion: a warehouse relocation in January 2024, a 6-to-9 board expansion, a $205K CDBG-funded mobile pantry buildout, and substantial one-time food recovery donations (67,441 pounds in February 2026 from Alameda County Community Food Bank alone).

Name

San Lorenzo Family Help Center

Legal name

San Lorenzo Family Help Center

Website

https://slzhelp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

San Lorenzo Family Help Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) food pantry in Hayward, California, operating in-store and mobile food distribution plus a food recovery program for low-income families across the Eden area of Alameda County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Assistance Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (62421), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAEAA

Food Assistance & Food Banks

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPAIAKAF

Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Social Security, Benefits & Welfare Administration

Keywords

• Food pantry services
• Emergency food assistance
• Food recovery program
• Community food distribution
• Nonprofit hunger relief

Headquarters

HQ city

Hayward

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Primary revenue source from foundation and government grants including Alameda County Community Food Bank, Eden Health District, City of Hayward, Alameda County CDBG, and variousRotary Clubs. Grants are used for operations, equipment, and program expansion including mobile pantry truck.
2. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, with workplace matching programs and company giving platforms. Special Giving Tuesday campaigns with donor matching.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Food donations from grocery stores, restaurants, and food distributors. Corporate grants from companies like Whole Foods, Albertsons, and Kaiser Foundation.
4. Food Drives: Community food drives organized by schools, youth organizations, churches, and local businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

San Lorenzo Family Help Center runs a free grocery-style food pantry that lets clients choose their own food onsite, plus a Mobile Pantry Program that delivers food to underserved neighborhoods. It also operates a Food Recovery Program that rescues surplus food from 21+ local grocery and restaurant partners (including Trader Joe's, Sprouts, Whole Foods, Safeway, CVS, Lucky, 99 Ranch Market, and Target) for redistribution to community members.

Product overview

San Lorenzo Family Help Center is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) food pantry organization providing food assistance to families in Alameda County. The organization operates three interconnected programs: an In-Store Pantry Program where clients shop by appointment at their Hayward location, a Mobile Pantry Program that will bring food distribution directly into underserved neighborhoods via a dedicated truck (launching July 2026), and a Food Recovery Program that rescues surplus food from farmers markets, grocery stores, and restaurants. Infrastructure improvements include pantry redesign with new refrigeration and shelving equipment, plus a walk-in refrigerator. The organization also publishes a monthly newsletter called The Pantry Shelf to communicate with donors and the community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Onsite Food Pantry
• Mobile Pantry Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Food rescued: 373,078 pounds in 2024; 231,025 pounds since January 2025; 67,441 pounds in February 2026 alone
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sprouts Farmers Market - HaywardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Food recovery partner added October 2024. Donates excess food to support culturally diverse food offerings.
• Fusian Delight RestaurantcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024First restaurant donor partner, located in Greenhouse Shopping Center on Lewelling in San Leandro. Supports efforts to provide cultural foods to diverse client community.
• Alameda County Community Food BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary food distribution partner providing food, capacity grants ($17,000 for pantry redesign), and operational support. Received 67,441 pounds of food in February 2026 donation. Provides grants, food supplies, and capacity building support.
• San Lorenzo Grocery OutletcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipating in Independence From Hunger campaign since 2020. Owners Hansga Prom and Vanna Ngy donate $5 at checkout during campaign. Ongoing food donations and community support.
• US Foods Chef's StorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated over 5,000 pounds of pork ribs, pork shoulder, and fresh produce in June 2025, delivered across seven pallets.
• Zakat Foundation of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated 53 packages of Halal chicken, beef, and lamb in July 2025 to meet dietary needs of Muslim neighbors. Supports cultural and religious food requirements.
• Calvary Lutheran ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted Bicycle Rodeo event, ongoing food drives, and community concert donating proceeds. Pastor Matt Behrens supports events.
• Kids Bike LanecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year partnership donating new bicycles and helmets to children at Christmas time. Donated 34 bikes and helmets in December 2024.
• Penumbra InccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated 131 turkeys for Thanksgiving 2024 (3rd year of donations), supporting holiday food assistance.
• Cycles of ChangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesigned fun, safe bicycle course for Bicycle Rodeo event in partnership with Calvary Lutheran Church.
• Farmers' TruckcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilding new mobile pantry truck with features including display shelving, built-in refrigeration, and awnings. Founder Frederick Laforge visited to discuss future needs. Truck expected July 2026.
• Unite UscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordination of care system partner since fall 2024. Provides food assistance referrals to Kaiser members to improve health outcomes. Nutrition essential for healing after surgery, inflammatory illnesses, and life-changing medical conditions.
• Seever and Sons of PleasantonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated four new tires for food recovery van, keeping food recovery operations moving forward.
• Global Leadership Initiatives for Youth (GLIFY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent-driven nonprofit with 470+ members supporting SLFHC since 2020. Regular Saturday volunteer participation, co-led by Joshua Wu and Leann Chen.
• San Lorenzo Emanuelu Samoan Free Methodist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMobile pantry partner distributing nutritious produce to approximately 100 clients on Saturdays. Multiple partnerships throughout 2024 supporting food distribution events.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• SF-Marin Food Bank: Regional food bank serving San Francisco and Marin counties. Operates comparable food recovery and pantry distribution model with grocery-store-style client choice pantries. Adjacent geography with similar client demographics and partner ecosystem.
• Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano: Regional food bank serving neighboring Contra Costa and Solano counties. Directly comparable operating model: food recovery from grocery partners, distribution through partner pantries, and grant-funded mobile/distribution programs.
• Loaves and Fishes of Contra Costa: Community-based food assistance nonprofit serving Contra Costa County. Operates a comparable food pantry and meal program model in an adjacent Bay Area geography with similar grant and donation funding structure.

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: National umbrella organization for the U.S. food bank network. Comparable as the parent network of which SLFHC's regional partner (ACCFB) is a member; sets standards for food recovery and pantry operations across the country.
• Second Harvest of Silicon Valley: Large regional food bank serving Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. Comparable as a hunger-relief nonprofit operating a food recovery and distribution network to community-based pantries, with similar funding model (grants, donations, food recovery partners).

Direct peers

• Catholic Charities of the East Bay: Faith-based nonprofit serving Alameda and Contra Costa counties with food pantries, emergency assistance, and social services. Directly comparable as a Bay Area community-based food assistance provider serving similar demographics.
• Alameda County Community Food Bank: The regional food bank serving Alameda County—including San Lorenzo and Hayward. Directly comparable as a hunger-relief organization in the same geography, and is itself a key supplier/funder to SLFHC. Operates at much larger scale but addresses the same food insecurity problem in the same service area.
• Glide Foundation: San Francisco-based nonprofit providing meals and social services to low-income and homeless populations. Comparable as a faith-rooted, donation-funded food assistance program serving vulnerable communities with dignity-focused service models.
• St. Anthony's Foundation: San Francisco nonprofit providing free meals, food pantries, and social services to those in need. Operates a similar dignity-centered, choice-based food pantry model serving low-income clients in the Bay Area.
• Lighthouse Community Center: Hayward/Eden area-based community services nonprofit providing food assistance and social services. Directly comparable as a local nonprofit serving the same geographic catchment (unincorporated San Lorenzo/Ashland/Cherryland/Hayward area) with food distribution to low-income clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SanLorenzoFamilyHelpCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/san-lorenzo-family-help-center

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 San Lorenzo Family Help Center