“When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed.”
~Mother Teresa, Roman Catholic nun
Our Mission
The Interfaith Council of Amador County works to eliminate hunger and its causes because nobody should have to face the day hungry.
Our Vision
We envision a time without hunger in Amador County; a time when parents don’t go without to feed their children and a time when the elderly do not choose between housing, life-saving medication, and food.
Our Origin
Nearly 25 years ago, a group of local people and organizations, each of whom recognized the need to work together to feed Amador County’s community of men, women, and children who are hungry, were inspired to feed our community’s hungry men, women, and children. In 1996, with a Community Development Block Grant from the Amador Tuolumne Community Action Agency (ATCAA), original director Karen Giacalone and 16 local churches formed the Interfaith Council of Amador County.
Once established, the Council turned to local grocers, businesses, and individuals to initiate the opening of the Interfaith Food Bank on April 6, 1998 — completely debt-free.
The Interfaith Food Bank Today
The Interfaith Food Bank serves as a local distribution center, with 15 satellite locations throughout Amador County, including a site in Plymouth serving the community’s Spanish-speaking population.
Thanks to an extremely generous community, our local partner supermarkets, and the Emergency Food Assistance Program, we have been able to supply an average of 63 families daily with enough food for three to five days.
The Interfaith Food Bank distributed over 1,400,000 pounds of food in 2020 and partnered to open a new pantry in Fiddletown during the pandemic.
“If we can conquer space, we can conquer childhood hunger.”
–Buzz Aldrin, astronaut