K to College
Basic Needs, Essential Services
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Second to hunger, unmet material needs are one of the most immediate and impactful consequences of being poor. A lack of access to basic needs items like diapers, hygiene supplies, school supplies and other goods creates barriers to health, education, childcare and employment for low-income families working towards self-sufficiency.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
K to College
The K to College program provides school supplies, dental supplies, backpacks, early learning kits and other items to homeless, foster and other low-income students throughout the state. Partnered with more than 350 county offices of education, school districts and First 5 Agencies, the program is the farthest reaching effort of its kind.
Diaper Kit Program
Providing 100 diapers and 200 baby wipes per month to low-income children ages 0-3 through partnering Women, Infants & Children (WIC) offices and First 5 Family Resource Centers, the Diaper Kit Program is a solution to the growing issue of “diaper need,” or an insufficient supply of diapers to keep a baby clean and dry.
Community Partners
Our Community Partners program provides a wide range of critical materials to partnering agencies such as shelters, family resource centers, social service agencies, churches and other community groups throughout the region and state. Just as a food bank centralizes in-kind gifts from farmers and food producers, SupplyBank.Org does the same with manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and a network of allied agencies. Instead of soup kitchens and food pantries, we distribute materials through our statewide network of 500 partnering agencies.
Where we work
External reviews

Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
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.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
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.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
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.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
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.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
-
How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
-
With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
-
Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
-
What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more
about GuideStar Pro.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
K to College
Board of directorsas of 6/30/2021
Steve Larson
Principal, California Strategies LLC
Tim Sbranti
Former Mayor/Teacher
Ted Lempert
President, Children Now
Richard Stephenson
U.S. Chief Compliance Officer, Funding Circle
Rodney Brooks
Executive Programs Coordinator, Alameda County Public Defender's Office
Mary Ellyn Gormley
Senior Deputy County Counsel, Alameda County
Jenny Zhu
Legal and Policy Manager, Automattic
Sean Carr
Director of Engineering, LiveRamp
Tim Sbranti
Former Mayor/Teacher
Benito Delgado-Olson
Executive Director, SupplyBank.Org
Lorena Hernandez
California Director of Community Investment, Comcast/NBCUniversal
Maritessa Bravo-Ares
Senior Community Engagement Officer, Beneficial State Foundation
Mike Spanton
Fund Accountant, Hellman and Friedman LLC
Yvette Radford
Vice President of External and Community Affairs, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc.
Patrick Johnston
Former President & CEO, California Association of Health Plans
Dean Vogel
Former President, California Teachers Association
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
-
Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Not applicable -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Not applicable -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Not applicable -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data