My Nonprofit Reviews

Twice I came to Bay Area Rescue Mission's food pantry (123 Macdonald Avenue) when my family was hit with hard times. With absolutely nothing to feed my children and no money for a few more days, I looked up food banks in my area who offered emergency food boxes. Bay Area Rescue Mission seemed like an ideal choice and was nearby. The first time I asked for food, I was denied a same day emergency basket of food and made to come back a day later on the first of the month (what seemed arbitrarily to me but I tried to keep an open mind). The next time, several months later, it happened to be the first of the month, so after work and with my hungry kids with me, we arrived at BARM just a couple of minutes before they closed for the day. Staff/volunteers, I am unsure, was very fast to wheel over the cart for facilitating donations into the food pantry. However, when I asked for food, anything at all I said, they quickly said no such luck. No food to be had, nada, zilch, nothing. Even just a box of pasta or stale bread or peanut butter, anything would have been dinner for my hungry kids, but no. They said no food was available and quickly headed back to lock up. People bring donations steadily daily to BARM but it isn't given to hungry children when they are in need and ask for help. Please be careful about donating food here, it doesn't make it to the community as the propaganda on their website would like to suggest.