The thought of moving from one place to another is not always appealing for most, but for those who work and volunteer at White Pony Express (WPE) — a nonprofit group devoted to preventing food insecurity through food rescue — they couldn’t be more thrilled.
While the group’s new Concord facility is the same size (roughly 12,000-feet) as their current Pleasant Hill location, the layout and configuration are worlds apart. Volunteers and staffers are used to performing calculated spins and sway movements similar to a tango among incoming and outgoing fresh food and safety equipment, but movement in their new facility — which is currently under construction — will lean towards a waltz.
“To contrast today’s experience with what we have to look forward to, WPE’s ‘dance floor’ is expanding to meet the need for fresh, healthy food deliveries, and we couldn’t be more excited,” said Chief Executive Officer Eve Birge. “It’s perfectly suited for WPE’s flow of operations.”
Birge, who has been with WPE for more than four years, said their new Concord digs at 2470 Bates Ave. are still a work-in-progress.
“We will have new carpet soon, and the furniture will be placed, but we’re not quite there yet,” she said. “In a week, we will have a deep clean, and it will sparkle.”
The search for a new home has been in the making for almost four years, and the move was necessary on many levels. For starters, the current Pleasant Hill location has two separate warehouses, one used for processing clothes, the other for food. The clothing warehouse is too large for what they need, and the food distribution center is too small and narrow.
The Pleasant Hill location also has very few parking spaces and a single bathroom for volunteer groups and staff. Their staff are packed into a single room that has more than 12 work stations with no privacy.
“There is no place for our drivers and warehouse staff to eat lunch or take a seat, and it’s common to see staff eating their lunches while standing in the parking area,” said Birge. “The new location solves these existing challenges.”
The new location also allows for growth and expansion of their services and Contra Costa County’s growing need for them. Serving 98 agencies and other nonprofit groups with fresh food deliveries, including schools, shelters, churches and county departments, WPE has 70 additional agencies and groups on their waitlist that they would like to add to their distribution schedule.
“We anticipate reducing our waitlist by 40% in the first year,” said Birge. “We must ensure our neighbors that need food receive food that is nutrient-rich and fresh.”
That need for food is great. WPE provides free food to more than 125,000 individuals each year in Contra Costa County, with a concentration of services in East Contra Costa and Richmond. In 2023, the organization rescued and distributed 3.7 million pounds of food, equal to more than 3 million meals.
“We are in an area characterized by neighborhoods facing great need, adjacent to those living comfortably,” Birge added. “WPE’s model is to redistribute and share the surplus and abundance as we live into our motto, ‘all of us taking care of all of us.’ ”
Birge said that a heartbreaking one in four Americans is skipping meals or relying on food donations.
“Equally troubling is the fact that Americans throw away an estimated 40% of our food supply — perfectly good food that could wipe out hunger three times over if it was rescued and delivered to those in need,” she said. “WPE’s goal is to overcome this dilemma.”
Through WPE’s Food Rescue Program, Birge said they’ve solved the logistical challenge that food markets face — what to do with surplus fresh food — by rescuing and delivering it to address the problem of hunger and malnutrition. Operating seven days a week, WPE’s Food Rescue Program rescues an average of 10,000 pounds of high-quality, perishable surplus of fresh food every day.
“We then sort and customize each delivery to match the preferences of our 90-plus well-established nonprofit partner organizations who directly serve Contra Costa County’s most vulnerable populations,” added Birge. “All of our fresh food donations are provided free of charge.”
At the Bates location, Birge said they made building modifications and are raising funds for new equipment that will streamline operations.
“The modifications were carefully planned with a project manager, a space planner and a building contractor,” she said. “Incorporated in this design is a safer volunteer experience with a separate food distribution center, a designated space for heavy equipment and refrigeration, improved office space for staff and clear patterns for volunteers that include a reception area and spacious food sorting room.”
WPE is also focused on eliminating food waste and creating sustainable and equitable food systems. Birge said their guiding principle at WPE is unity. The group serves communities who face the greatest obstacles, including new immigrant families, unhoused individuals and families, students, seniors, infants, new moms and foster youth.
“We believe we are part of one human family and when one person thrives, we all thrive,” said Birge.
Reach Charleen Earley, a freelance writer and journalism professor at Foothill and Diablo Valley colleges, atcharleenbearley@gmail.comor 925-383-3072.
FYI
To learn about White Pony Express or their “Spring Into Action” fundraising campaign, visit whiteponyexpress.org online. To volunteer for the group, email volunteer@whiteponyexpress.org. Also, view the tight space of their Pleasant Hill facility compared to their new one at bit.ly/4b0pBkM.
