K to College

To address the issue of unmet material needs, SupplyBank.Org (formerly K to College) is building the nation's first brick and mortar “supply bank" (like a food bank, but for supplies). The overall goal is to increase the resources available to low-income children and families by distributing basic material needs items through a streamlined delivery system, in the same way that food banks address hunger.

Scalability, market power, centralization of resources and modernized logistics drive our business approach. As the nation's first brick and mortar supply banking system, SupplyBank.Org will increase the resources available to low-income children and families by providing them with basic needs items through a seamless delivery system. Materials are acquired for pennies on the dollar by centralizing the procurement and in-kind gifts in the welfare space similarly to how food banks operate with farmers and other food producers. Through all of our programs, we apply the same quality control a consumer would expect from products found at retail stores.

Our distribution partners, including county offices of education, school districts, domestic violence shelters, First 5 family resource centers, Women, Infants & Children (WIC) offices, other social service agencies and community-based organizations, provide pathways to self-sufficiency. By offering basic material needs assistance through organizations that means-tested low-income clients already visit to receive key benefits and services, our programs support families without creating a welfare line or bureaucratic hurdle. Like a food bank, SupplyBank.Org treats a symptom of poverty, but seeks to disrupt the cycle trapping many low-income families through our integrated, respectful approach.

Launched with several multi-year federal grants in 2010, SupplyBank.Org has since grown its programmatic portfolio to provide more than $25 million worth of basic materials including diapers, hygiene supplies, school supplies, refurbished laptops and other items to more than 500,000 low-income people throughout California through our K to College, Diaper Kit, Green Access Pledge and Community Partners programs.

At its core, the work of SupplyBank.Org demonstrates a more efficient, cost-effective and scalable way of addressing unmet material needs. SupplyBank.Org has leveraged its programmatic successes to influence policy for sustainable and replicable solutions to unmet material needs. Numerous city and county governments throughout California have invested in and collaborated with the supply bank model of addressing unmet material needs by incorporating our programs into their budgets for homeless, foster and other low-income supportive programs. SupplyBank.Org has also successfully sponsored legislation to increase resources for California's homeless children and to develop an innovative partnership with the California Prison Industry Authority to create a community service project as a component of a larger rehabilitation program.

What the modern food bank did for hunger, SupplyBank.Org can do for unmet material needs and the corresponding negative impacts on health, education and employment.

Key accomplishments of the agency include:

- Securing three grants through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to launch the new agency in the war on poverty
- Growing our reach to provide more than $25,000,000 worth of materials to more than 500,000 low-income children and families throughout California.
- Establishing partnerships with 450 school districts, county offices of education, Women, Infants & Children (WIC) offices, First 5 family resource centers, domestic violence shelters and other social service agencies serving low-income people throughout the state.
- Successfully sponsoring the following pieces of state legislation:
o SB 608 (2011), enabling the California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA) to partner with nonprofits like SupplyBank.Org for fulfillment and manufacturing services.
o Three pieces of legislation to establish and extend the School Supplies for Homeless Children Fund to allow taxpayers to designate a voluntary contribution on their state personal income tax return. By the end of 2018, the Fund will have provided basic material needs assistance to more than 250,000 homeless kids throughout California.
- Launching the nation's largest diaper kit assistance program.
- Developing a sophisticated supply chain to efficiently source materials directly from vetted manufacturers. We conduct social audits of each manufacturer, and each product is tested for safety and quality prior to distribution.

The next goal of the agency is to construct a modern 160,000 sq. ft. distribution center in Oakland to dramatically scale all programs, save on third-party logistics (3PL) costs and vastly increase the stability and efficiency of the largest agency addressing unmet material needs for low-income children and families throughout California.