When Marvin Quebec, president of Oakland, CA-based Quebec Distributing Inc. initially heard about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program, he noted that many worthy charities were not being serviced. A month later after participating in a seminar on the program during United Fresh LIVE!, he realized there was a way he could help.

During the session, several produce suppliers who had been awarded contracts discussed their experiences and Quebec reasoned that not every contractor was able to completely deliver the total number of boxes under their individual contracts. He quickly called some charities he has worked with and confirmed that if they could be hooked up with produce box suppliers, they could very well utilize the free food.

Next, Quebec called a few of the Bay Area contractors to inform them that he could connect them with worthy charities if they had surplus product. Soon some connections were made. Quebec, who was a college athlete and remains very active in the Bay Area club sports scene, called Antonio Davis, a former NBA player involved with the local Coaching Corp group that provides volunteer coaches to underserved communities. He also called foodbanks and local churches.

Utilizing product and logistics help from other produce companies, including Amor Organics in Watsonville and Grant J. Hunt Company in Oakland, Quebec was soon helping to deliver some of the produce boxes to these charities and needy families. Though Quebec Distributing wasn’t involved in the program in any beneficially financial way, the company’s president said he got his rewards. “I was surprised how much I got out of it,” he said. “It was a great feeling.”

He went on to say that the pandemic and the resulting unemployment caused by it have caused many families to seek help who never thought they would be in that position. “The first thing they have to admit is that they need to drive down to one of these foodbanks and ask for the free food for their families. That’s hard to do for many people. So far, we’ve been able to help about 3,000 needy families and we’re still trying to do what we can,” he said in early July.

(Seen above are Rob Tochini of Grant J. Hunt Co., Marvin Quebec of Quebec Distributing, former NBA All-Star Antonio Davis of Coaching Corp and Sal Rizzo of Grant Hunt.)