The 2024 Waste Prevention Grant Application is now open. If interested, learn more and apply here. 

Tri-Valley Haven was founded in 1977 to offer victims of domestic violence in Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore and other parts of the Tri-Valley support and a safe place to stay. Since then, the nonprofit’s free services have vastly expanded to include help for sexual assault survivors, shelter, transitional housing and counseling for those experiencing homelessness, and a food pantry where recovered surplus food provides nourishment to community members in need.  

Preserving their clients’ dignity is a top priority for Tri-Valley Haven. In keeping with this value, they introduced a “client choice model” for distributing groceries to the 50-60 households the pantry serves each day. “Client choice means that our guests select the food items and toiletries that best suit them and their family, their lifestyle, their traditions and cultural backgrounds, and their health needs,” explains Carla Rosas, Director of Tri-Valley Haven’s Homeless and Family Support Services. “It is more empowering for our guests to pick out their own food than being handed a bag with pre-selected items that they may not even be able to eat. As a result, there’s also much less waste—a huge benefit,” she adds. 

StopWaste grant funding has helped Tri-Valley Haven expand the food pantry’s operations, doubling the amount of recovered surplus food as well as the number of people served. The food pantry’s Saturday hours accommodate working families. In addition, they purchased a van to bring food directly to Tri-Valley community members in need who have limited mobility. The mobile food pantry currently makes monthly trips to four low-income senior citizen housing complexes in Dublin, Livermore and Pleasanton. More locations will be added soon. 

To ensure they can offer a wide range of high quality, nutritious groceries, Tri-Valley Haven keeps expanding their network of surplus food recovery partners, recently adding the Livermore Farmer’s Market. “The market’s wonderful, locally grown surplus fruits and vegetables have really increased the amount of healthy, nutritious produce we can offer,” says Carla who ensures the pantry is also stocked with essential perishables like milk, eggs, meat, and fish. Each year, Tri-Valley Haven redistributes over 300,000 pounds of surplus edible food—and helps people thrive.

To learn more about Tri-Valley Haven, visit their website. For more information about StopWaste’s grants program and opportunities, click here.