IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Photo illustraton of a Third Parent Family grocery distributon.

Third Parent Family feeds more than bellies during the pandemic

Story and Photographs by Bo Lenschau

Daveea Whitmire nishes loading up a U-Haul with the last of 130 brown paper bags lled with groceries. ey are destined for the pop-up food delivery program that was kicked o in April by the edgling nonpro t, ird Parent Family, TPF. e groceries will head to neighborhoods all over San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley for distribution to families that TPF has identi ed as in-need.

Whitmire and his partner Whitney White founded TPF as a client-centered case management nonpro t in December 2019. Client-centered case management means they tailor aid to t each individual’s needs. “ e patient is the expert of their own body. Everyone is built di erently, with similar situations but distinct circumstances,” Whitmire says. e name ird Parent Family came from Whitmire’s idea that having a third parent would have been bene cial for him growing up. TPF hopes to ll that role for people in their community.

TPF’s rst initiative focused on assisting clients in the process of obtaining drivers’ licenses which in turn, creates more job possibilities.

“We know that a barrier for some folks is not having a car to take a test in, or having access to one. Our goal is to break societal barriers by o ering resources. is resource was crucial in our community,” says White.

Whitmire and White used their personal savings to start the organization. en they received a $10,000 grant from the San Francisco Foundation to be put towards administrative needs and their food initiative.

When the pandemic hit in March, they funnelled most of their funds towards food distribution. Every Saturday since April, TPF provides bags of nutritious food for struggling families who are just trying to get through the week.

“We knew how much the community we were serving needed the supplies and support,” says White. e organization identi es its clients by contacting the community recreation centers of Bay Area neighborhoods. is enables them to reach diverse groups of people in need. e organization also does outreach through social media and provides information about their program on their website. Volunteers are available at the pop-up food banks to answer any questions or help potential clients connect with TPF.

Whitmire and White’s team of around 20 dedicated volunteers are at the core of TPF’s success. “Our volunteers are the backbone of our organization. Our volunteers bring their uniqueness and expertise to TPF and share it,” says Whitmire.

Many of the volunteers learned about TPF by word of mouth or by inquiring at a pop-up food bank.

“We have roles that need to be lled on a weekly basis, but our volunteers do more,” says White.

Luccia NoëlJungclaussen, 14, has been helping out with the weekly food deliveries for Third Parent Family, TPF volunteer Riley Dunkle carries two packages of almost ve months. “ e donated groceries to be put into brown paper bags for distributon people here are like friends and really almost family because we see them so regularly and by now, we actually know them really well,” she says.

Week a er week NoëlJungclaussen sorts the donated food items into bags and helps distribute them. When TPF hosted a turkey giveaway this past anksgiving, she assisted in designing posters and yers for the event. Lucia Noël-Jungclaussen writes a motvatonal quote on a stcky note that

Like Noël-Jungclaussen, will later be distributed with TPF’s grocery bags. Whitmire and White have children in the community. always had an a nity for community “It was something where you could service. immediately see your impact and where

White, 31, grew up in Brooklyn, went you made a di erence,” says White. to high school in New Hampshire and received a Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University in Maryland. As a high school student, White was part of a program called Brewster Big Friends, a Inspired by her mother, who was a kindergarten teacher, she began teaching for the San Francisco Uni ed School District in 2016. student club that paired students from Whitmire, 35, grew up in San Francisco di erent age groups to provide a big broth- and graduated from the community er or big sister relationship to younger healthwork program at City College of

From lef to right, Fernando Ansaldo-Sanchez and Rudairo Segbeaya plan delivery routes for a distributon run while Daveea Whitmire, Whitney White, Jaira Roxas and Dexter Shen welcome and enroll a new TPF recipient into their food delivery program. San Francisco. rough the program he Francisco. “I needed some change in my TPF’s mission is multipronged: to received certi cates in both youth and post life,” says White. provide food, shelter and healthcare prison advocacy. By 2019, with years of education and resources, but for now food distribution is

“I can remember as far back as 12, being public service experience under their belts, the top priority. involved in programs at the ird Baptist White and Whitmire felt that starting their According to a recent analysis by Feeding Church of San Francisco. eir Friday own nonpro t would allow them to have a America, a nonpro t organization that is Night Live youth program made me feel more direct impact on the community. a nationwide network of more than 200 as if I had a greater sense of community,” food banks, the COVID-19 pandemic has says Whitmire. the potential to drive an additional 17.1 mil-

Whitmire worked in San Francisco’s lion Americans into food insecurity, many juvenile hall, teaching incarcerated youth for the rst time. is represents a 46% about HIV prevention. Despite his accom- increase from the 37 million who were food plishments in the eld of restorative justice, insecure prior to the pandemic. Whitmire grew frustrated with what he saw. He was shocked to nd out many of his students were still unable to read. “With my clients I wanted to do everything I could; hook them up with jobs and help them get on their feet, but the organiIn California alone, 6,362,000 people are projected to face hunger this year — an increase of about two million people from 2019. anks to donations from supermarzation wasn’t equipped with everything I ket chains like Trader Joe’s and Sprouts needed,” says Whitmire. Farmers Market and from local organizaHe and White met in 2015 at the Haight Street Fair. Whitmire, whose rapper name is “Self uggah,” has been active in the tions such as Bay Area Rescue Mission and Haight-Ashbury Food Program, TPF volunteers are able to ll the bags weekly with Bay Area music scene for over 10 years. a variety of fresh food items for a balanced He was lming a music video and struck and healthy diet. up a conversation with White during a Recipients get more than food each break in lming, and the two immediate- Flor Polanco receives her package of groceries week, too. Volunteers place owers inside ly hit it o . ey dated long-distance for a from TPF. The packages are tailored to ft benef- and attach sticky-notes with motivational short time before White moved out to San ciaries’ diverse needs and dietary restrictons. quotes and a rmations to every bag.

“Receiving groceries from TPF is like White. “Where I am from, the model ‘it Christmas every week,” says Monica takes a village to raise a child’ stood true. Espinoza, a mother and single parent who Our families stepped up and took care of lives with her elderly parents and has been each other. is followed me as I grew up.” a bene ciary for about four months. “ e “TPF is truly a family in every sense of owers we get each week are such a special the word. As we meet volunteers and they touch. It makes my living room smell won- begin to come and help out, relationships derful,” Espinoza says. grow organically. We like people to our-

As the nonpro t grows, Whitmire and ish,” White adds. White hope to initiate programs that pro- Every Saturday, volunteer Antoinette vide a ordable housing placement and Lewis helps set up the pop-up TPF food job development. ey envision TPF as a bank on the sidewalk in front of her house platform where volunteers can mentor and in Haight-Ashbury. Known as “Auntie” to support clients with career services as well the rest of the volunteers, she makes her as other types of “We like people to fourish.” basement available as aid. In addi— Whitney White a storage room for tion to donations, Whitmire and White still tables, bags and chairs and remains availspend their personal savings and income to able by cell phone as a contact person for keep TPF a oat. White works as an educa- certain bene ciaries. tional consultant, Sitting on the steps outside of her and Whitmire receives royalties from Victorian home one Saturday, Lewis points his rap career. down to her le ankle to reveal an anklet

“I have always loved the community,” says she received as a gi . “ is girl, her name

Antoinete Lewis known as “Aunte” to the rest of the TPF volunteers, sits on the front porch of her house in Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco. is Lisa, she gave me this a couple days ago. She stopped me on the street. She said, ‘You know what? You helped me live!’” says Lewis. “And now she’s got her own house, baby, and she’s living really good. She bought this for me and said, ‘I wanted to get you something because you really helped me get to who I am.’ And yea that’s what ird Parent is. at’s what it is to me.”

Above: Whitney White, lef, and Daveea Whitmire, right, sit with their son Daveea Whitmire Jr, one, center, in the back of a U-Haul used to carry food donatons to a TPF pop-up food bank locaton. Lef: TPF volunteers fll up grocery bags before distributon.In additon to an inspiratonal stcky-note, each bag gets fresh fowers.