Honoring Gary Maxworthy: A Legacy That Continues to Feed California

The California Association of Food Banks mourns the passing of Gary Maxworthy, a visionary whose work forever changed how California feeds its communities. His loss is felt deeply throughout the food banking community, and his tremendous impact will be felt for generations to come.

Gary founded the Farm to Family program in late 1990s at the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank with a simple but powerful idea: connect the abundance of California agriculture with families facing hunger. At a time when millions of pounds of fresh produce were going unharvested, he saw opportunity where others saw waste and built a bridge between the two – one that continues to deliver nourishment, dignity and hope to communities every day.

What began as an innovative concept has grown into one of the most impactful farm-to-food bank programs in the nation, delivering fresh, healthy food to families while supporting California farmers. In 2005 the Farm to Family program transitioned operation to the California Association with the aim of having this food reach every corner of the state. Last year the program supplied more than 300 million pounds of food, not only to California food banks, but food banks across the country. Today the program also secures and delivers shelf-stable foods like beans, soups, cereals, and grains, as well as proteins like eggs and meat.

Gary didn’t just launch a program, he helped reshape a system, proving that collaboration, creativity and persistence can turn surplus into sustenance at scale.

His legacy lives on in every pound of produce rescued, every partnership forged, and every family who has access to fresh food because of his vision.

We are deeply grateful for Gary’s leadership, his compassion and his unwavering belief that no food should go to waste while neighbors go hungry. We honor his life by continuing the work he began and by carrying forward the impact he made possible.