CAMERON PARK — The Food Bank of El Dorado County will host its 2025 Holiday Outreach Distribution on Saturday, Dec. 20, offering seasonal food assistance to low-income households seeking support during the winter season. The event will be held at the Food Bank’s distribution facility at 4550 Business Drive in Cameron Park, with staggered pickup times based on the first letter of each recipient’s last name.
This year’s outreach is backed by a coalition of long-standing community partners, including the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Barsotti Family Juice Co., and Francis Distributing. Tribal services will take an expanded role, with the Tribal Fire Department and Tribal Police Department assisting in delivery efforts for residents who are homebound. Those unable to travel may request home delivery by emailing info@foodbankedc.org.
Food Bank officials emphasized the importance of making the process accessible.
“Our goal is to make sure every qualifying family in El Dorado County can enjoy a brighter holiday season without barriers,”
the organization said in a prepared statement.
No pre-registration is required for the in-person distribution. Residents must bring proof of El Dorado County residency and may collect food for only one household. Eligibility is limited to low-income families facing financial hardship, a need that continues to grow as more households navigate high living costs countywide.
Pickup Schedule for Saturday, Dec. 20:
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A–I: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
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J–R: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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S–Z: 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
The annual event remains one of the county’s most significant community-supported holiday assistance programs, blending public generosity with coordinated local partnerships to meet the needs of vulnerable families.
How the Food Bank’s services changed over time — short analysis
In a typical year, the Network procures, warehouses, and distributes over 2 million pounds of food — worth more than $3.5 million — to families, seniors, veterans and individuals in need county-wide.
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Support for Seniors: Elder Outreach Program
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In 2025, the Food Bank expanded its outreach to seniors in partnership with Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, offering bi-monthly nutrient-dense food box distributions to eligible individuals aged 60 and over — not just in El Dorado, but also in neighboring counties. Inedc
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A Food Bank representative said, “We are committed to supporting our senior community members through these challenging times.” Inedc
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Veteran Assistance — “No Vet Goes Hungry” and Outreach to Families in Crisis
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Among its programs is a dedicated effort for veterans and their families, in collaboration with the local Veteran’s Commission, providing emergency food support and resources in times of need. Inedc
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Recognition & Community Impact
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In 2023, the Food Bank was honored by state leadership: it was named “California Nonprofit of the Year” by a state assembly member — in recognition of its countywide humanitarian role.
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According to the award announcement, the Food Bank serves 8,000 to 10,000 individuals per month across El Dorado County.
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The founder (often affectionately known as “The Food Dude”), Mike Sproull, dedicated the award to all volunteers, supporters and community partners, highlighting the collective effort behind the Food Bank’s impact.
“Together, we have shown compassion, strength and determination in supporting our community members facing hunger, natural disasters, and homelessness,”
Sproull said upon receiving the award.
More broadly, by working through a distributed network of partner agencies and leveraging volunteers — churches, community groups, tribal partners, veterans’ organizations — the Food Bank has created a countywide safety net that adapts to changing needs: holiday stress, disaster relief, rising living costs, senior nutrition, veteran support, and rural hardship.
Timeline — Food Bank of El Dorado County (2000–2025)
2000 — Founding and grassroots beginnings
• Founder Mike Sproull established the Food Bank of El Dorado County as a grassroots, community-based clearinghouse to coordinate emergency food aid and partner agency distributions. The organization began as a small coalition addressing gaps in local food access.
2003–2008 — Early growth, partner network forms
• The Food Bank formalized relationships with local churches, community groups and small pantries, growing an “Emergency Food Assistance Network” that would later include 30+ partner agencies serving remote foothill and mountain communities.
2012–2016 — Scaling holiday outreach and community drives
• Annual holiday outreach and large turkey drives became recurring community events. Local churches, Knights of Columbus chapters and business partners regularly collected turkeys and the “fixings” for over 1,000 holiday meals in some years (example: All-Community Turkey Drive, 2015).
2018–2019 — Institutionalizing steady distributions
• The Food Bank ramped up scheduled drive-thru and partner distributions across the county, publishing regular monthly calendars of free food distribution sites and formalizing the Cameron Park warehouse/distribution facility as the operational hub.
2020 — Pandemic response and surge operations
• Like many local food banks, Food Bank of El Dorado County expanded emergency distributions and partnerships during the COVID-19 pandemic to meet sharply increased demand (mass distributions, volunteer mobilization and coordinated partner deliveries). (See site and local reporting for program details.)
2021 — Caldor Fire emergency response and long-term recovery work
• When the Caldor Fire swept through the region in August 2021 the Food Bank served as a frontline disaster responder — providing emergency supplies, water and food to evacuation centers and continuing months of assistance to survivors in Grizzly Flats, Pollock Pines, South Lake Tahoe and other affected communities. The organization’s 2021 “Food Matters” report documents the effort.
2022 — Recognition and strengthening networks
• The Food Bank continued to deepen collaborations with tribal partners, county agencies and more than 30 distribution partners to ensure reach into rural communities and shelter operations — a capability that was repeatedly tested during wildfire and weather emergencies.
2023 — State-level recognition: “Nonprofit of the Year”
• The Food Bank received a formal recognition document in 2023 (award packet published on the Food Bank site), highlighting its countywide role and honoring founder Mike Sproull and the volunteer network that sustains operations. The award cited service to thousands of residents monthly through emergency food and partner agency networks.
2024 — Ongoing distributions and local partnerships
• Established programs continued: monthly partner distributions, holiday drives, and collaboration with local governments and churches to maintain coverage across remote census tracts and the Lake Tahoe corridor. (Monthly calendars and partner listings were in active use.)
Early–Mid 2025 — Program diversification and senior focus
• Elder Outreach expansion (2025): In partnership with the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians the Food Bank launched/expanded a bi-monthly Elder Outreach that delivers nutrient-dense food boxes to low-income seniors (60+) across El Dorado and neighboring counties. The program formalizes senior eligibility and drive-thru distribution dates in early 2025.
June 2025 — Gift-card relief to address fuel & food needs
• The Food Bank coordinated a countywide gift-card distribution, delivering more than $78,000 in $50 gift cards through partner agencies to help residents buy food and fuel — an expanded form of assistance recognizing that cash/fuel support often addresses needs grocery boxes cannot. (Program doc.)
Summer–Fall 2025 — Farmers’ markets & Lake Tahoe partnerships
• The Food Bank partnered with Bread & Broth (St. Theresa’s) and others to run free drive-thru farmers’ market distributions in South Lake Tahoe and nearby towns (summer/fall series), prioritizing fresh produce access in the tourist-season and for remote shore communities.
December 2025 — Holiday Outreach 2025 (one-day county distribution)
• The Food Bank’s December 20, 2025 Holiday Outreach returned as a concentrated, partner-supported event (Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Barsotti Family Juice Co., Francis Distributing among sponsors) with tribal fire and police departments helping deliver to homebound residents — another iteration of the long-running holiday program.
