Feeding the hungry with the Food Bank of San Luis Obispo County: Garret Olson, Brenda, and Claire

I recently scrolled through Instagram and saw a post from the San Luis Obispo Food Bank featuring a young woman named Claire who had raised $5,000 for the organization since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. She is 12 years old and writes a weekly newsletter called RNC Gardening Tips and Tricks, which she prints and hand delivers for just a dollar per month, and all the proceeds go to the Food Bank. I reached out to the Food Bank to see if Claire and her mother Brenda would be interested in coming on the Consumed podcast, and not only did they both say yes, but Food Bank CEO Garret Olson said yes, too. Garret has worked with the Food Bank since May of 2020, coming on right in the heat of the pandemic. But as the former SLO City Fire Chief, he’s no stranger to heat. Listen as I talk with Claire, Brenda, and Garret about hunger in SLO County, how it can go unseen, how the Food Bank is addressing the need, and the drive of people like Claire to help others.

Website: slofoodbank.org

Instagram: @slofoodbank

Sample of Claire’s newsletter