San Francisco-Marin Food Bank to close all pop-up pantries by mid-2025 as pandemic funding ends
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank said it would be scaling back its pandemic-era assistance and closing all its emergency Pop-Up Pantries by mid-2025.
According to the food bank, the decision comes due to the end of federal, state and local pandemic funding.
The organization said it will be working to expand existing pantries and reopen those that closed, but it's likely some who need assistance will no longer be able to get it.
"By the end of June 2025, the Food Bank projects it will serve approximately 40,000 households per week – about 20 percent more than pre-pandemic," the food bank said.
They also expect there will be longer waitlists at pantries.
The pop-up pantries are not closing immediately, and the food bank said it would be working with existing ones to expand them.
Enrollment for the food bank's Home Delivered Groceries is currently being scaled back as well.
"We are committed to serving our community to the best of our ability. Our goal is for this to be a thoughtful and planned transition, where we can eventually serve as many participants as possible directly through our pantry network as we did prior to the pandemic," Executive Director Tanis Crosby said.
The end of pandemic funding will also lead to the food bank cutting some of its employment. It expects to have less than 200 employees, from 254, by the end of June 2025.