Nutrition, Cooking, Gardening, and Food Distribution
Leah's Pantry in the Community
Leah's Pantry is based in California, where we provide nutrition, cooking, gardening, movement, food distributions, and support for community engagement initiatives in local communities. We also actively participate in local coalitions and collaboratives. Our three long-standing initiaitves: improving the food security of BRIGE Housing residents, bringing nutrition and movement to San Francisco's older adults, and supporting San Diego's elementary school garden programs, demonstrate the range of ways we work to impact communities relationship to food and wellness. Scroll down to learn more about those three programs, browse a portfolio of active and past projects, or get in touch to see how we can bring our programs to your community.
Our Work in California
From the Bayview to San Diego County, our programs, coalitions, and resources reach communities across the state. Explore by region to see what we're doing near you.
Coalition
Bayview Community Advisory Board
2024–2026
A resident advisory board in Bayview-Hunters Point that collects and interprets community data and brings recommendations to city officials.
CalFresh Healthy Living Community Impact Framework
2023–2025
As the backbone organization, Leah's Pantry facilitated statewide co-design of an impact framework guiding California's CalFresh Healthy Living (SNAP-Ed) network.
San Diego Accountable Communities for Health
2020–present
A countywide collaborative building a wellness system for health equity across San Diego; Leah's Pantry serves on its Stewardship Group.
San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative
2020–present
A countywide public-private partnership preventing childhood obesity through policy, systems, and environmental change; Leah's Pantry's Executive Director serves on its Leadership Council.
Bay Area Nutrition and Physical Activity Collaborative (BANPAC)
2016–present
Leah's Pantry supports BANPAC, a nine-county Bay Area public health collaborative, by co-hosting regional trainings and helping lead a weight bias competency project.
Hunger Free San Diego
2020–present
San Diego Hunger Coalition's countywide effort to end hunger through shared data and coordinated food assistance; Leah's Pantry serves on its Advisory Board.
Right to Heal (R2H) Working Group
2026–present
Leah's Pantry supports an incarcerated-led effort to bring fresh produce and Food Is Medicine programming to San Quentin, starting with a one-day Harvest Market.
San Francisco Food Security Task Force
2020–2026
Leah's Pantry held a community seat on San Francisco's official advisory body on hunger, helping shape citywide food security recommendations until the Task Force sunset in 2026.
SRO Food Security and Health Collaborative Pilot
2017–2020
A tenant-centered pilot to improve food security and health for residents of two San Francisco SRO hotels, with Leah's Pantry as project manager.
Essentials for Childhood Initiative
2019–2021
A statewide coalition preventing child abuse, neglect, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs); Leah's Pantry brought a nutrition lens to its trauma-informed practices work.
Local School Wellness Policy Collaborative
2022–2023
A statewide collaborative helping California schools build strong wellness policies; Leah's Pantry joined its nutrition and food security domain.
San Diego Food System Alliance
2012–present
San Diego County's food policy council advancing a just, sustainable food system through Food Vision 2030; Leah's Pantry was an early member and longtime fiscal sponsor.
Community Program
Feeding Potrero
2013–2019
Potrero Hill residents gained culinary and nutrition skills, food safety certification, and paid work cooking healthy meals for neighborhood families.
Meals, Movement, and Memories (San Diego Older Adults)
2025–2026
Bilingual nutrition, cooking, and movement workshops for older adults across three San Diego County sites.
San Francisco SNAP-Ed Food Smarts Workshops
2013–2017
Food Smarts workshops across San Francisco through a SNAP-Ed contract with the SF Human Services Agency.
SF Citywide Nutrition Education for Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities
2017–present
Multi-session nutrition workshops at congregate meal sites across San Francisco, as the citywide nutrition education contractor for the SF Department of Disability and Aging Services.
One Safe Place Nutrition and Cooking Program
2022–present
Trauma-informed nutrition and cooking workshops for survivors of abuse, violence, and trafficking at One Safe Place family justice centers in San Diego County.
SF Food Pharmacy Nutrition Education
2021–2025
Nutrition workshops embedded in clinic Food Pharmacies, where patients already pick up healthy food.
Community Engagement
Bayview Community Advisory Board
2024–2026
A resident advisory board in Bayview-Hunters Point that collects and interprets community data and brings recommendations to city officials.
CalFresh Healthy Living Community Impact Framework
2023–2025
As the backbone organization, Leah's Pantry facilitated statewide co-design of an impact framework guiding California's CalFresh Healthy Living (SNAP-Ed) network.
Feeding Potrero
2013–2019
Potrero Hill residents gained culinary and nutrition skills, food safety certification, and paid work cooking healthy meals for neighborhood families.
Health Equity Training Co-Design with UC San Diego Youth Advisory Council
2022–2023
Youth co-designed a health equity training for CalFresh Healthy Living staff, bringing young people's voices to the screen and the curriculum.
SRO Food Security and Health Collaborative Pilot
2017–2020
A tenant-centered pilot to improve food security and health for residents of two San Francisco SRO hotels, with Leah's Pantry as project manager.
Learning Collaborative
CalFresh Healthy Living Learning Collaborative (Summer 2022)
2022
A California SNAP-Ed (CalFresh Healthy Living) cohort focused on new partnerships, trauma-informed workplaces, and storytelling across the nutrition security field.
CalFresh Healthy Living Learning Collaborative (Winter 2022)
2022
Seven CalFresh Healthy Living local agencies designed trauma-informed projects across gardens, farmers' markets, Head Start, and food bank services.
CFHL Equity in Participatory Processes Learning Collaborative (2025)
2025
Local CalFresh Healthy Living teams learned participatory evaluation, participatory budgeting, and action research, and planned how to share power with communities.
Merced County Learning Collaborative (2021)
2021
Merced County partners used trauma-informed principles to make local food access more dignified, inclusive, and reachable.
San Diego Learning Collaborative (2020)
2020
Seven San Diego County food assistance organizations applied trauma-informed principles to their own food programs.
California Department of Aging Integrated Work Plan Learning Collaborative (2023)
2023
Helped California Department of Aging staff build equity and trauma-informed principles into their 2024–2026 SNAP-Ed work plans.
Program and Resource Development
A Fresh Twist on Traditional Recipes Cookbook (Champions for Change)
2016
Healthier twists on traditional family favorites for African American families, with recipes developed by Leah's Pantry.
Around the World at the Farmers' Market Cookbook
2015
Healthy, low-cost recipes from San Diego's African and Middle Eastern community cooks, built around farmers' market produce.
CalFresh Healthy Living Community Impact Framework
2023–2025
As the backbone organization, Leah's Pantry facilitated statewide co-design of an impact framework guiding California's CalFresh Healthy Living (SNAP-Ed) network.
From Iraq to the Golden State Cookbook
2015
A bilingual English-Arabic cookbook of healthy Iraqi dishes made with local San Diego produce, created with Iraqi community farmers.
Health Equity Training Co-Design with UC San Diego Youth Advisory Council
2022–2023
Youth co-designed a health equity training for CalFresh Healthy Living staff, bringing young people's voices to the screen and the curriculum.
Healthy, Easy Recipes Inspired by Asia & the Pacific Islands Cookbook
2016–2017
Healthy, low-cost recipes from Asian and Pacific Islander communities, co-created with community cooks from the Bay Area to Hawai'i Island.
The Tenderloin Cooking School Cookbook
2014
A community cookbook of simple, healthy, low-cost recipes and stories from Tenderloin and Mid-Market residents, made for cooking in small spaces.
Young, Indigenous, and Healthy Cookbook
2017
Recipes inspired by today's Native youth, blending traditional Native American ingredients with modern flavors.
Curriculum Consulting
A Fresh Twist on Traditional Recipes Cookbook (Champions for Change)
2016
Healthier twists on traditional family favorites for African American families, with recipes developed by Leah's Pantry.
FoodBoss HQ Curriculum Review (Foodbank of Santa Barbara County)
2025
Expert review of a food bank's third-grade nutrition curriculum for trauma-informed practice, gentle nutrition, and accurate content.
32 projects shown for this region.
Upcoming in the Bay Area
Everybody Loves Line Dancing (English) – Geraldine Manor
3:30-4:30pm
Geraldine Manor
Everybody Loves Line Dancing (English) – 1233 Webster Street
2-3pm
1233 Webster Street
Food Smarts Nutrition Workshops (Cantonese) – Geraldine Manor
3:30-4:30pm
Geraldine Manor
Questions about our work in California?
Reach out to the regional program manager.