Hands Across The Valley was founded in 1994 when George Altamura learned that the Napa Food Bank was running out of money. He and other leaders in the Community, decided to come together to do something about the situation. Upon investigation, they discovered some surprising statistics: The Food Bank was still serving hundreds of individuals and families each week, but funding from the Federal government was being reduced. The First Presbyterian Church in Napa was providing a hot meal six days a week to over 100 individuals and families. The Salvation Army was doing the same. A group of citizens in Calistoga was feeding fourteen families every day and had a waiting list. Meals on Wheels was serving over 100 frail, elderly or disabled housebound individuals each day. These numbers did not include the over 2,000 families and their children in the Valley who were receiving aid at a standard below the Federal poverty guidelines. In the midst of opulence and wealth in the Napa Valley, it became obvious that hundreds of people were going hungry every day.

George began a campaign “to do something about hunger in the Napa Valley,” and a committee was formed to stage a fundraising event.

They had no idea how the community would respond. To everyone’s delight, over 500 guests showed up for the inaugural event held at Bistro Don Giovanni Restaurant to join Linda and Johnny Miller, 49er legend Steve Young, Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola, Congressman Mike Thompson, and other community celebrities “to make a few pizzas and share some Napa Valley wines”!

The next year, Eleanor and Francis Coppola hosted the event at their home in Rutherford. Celebrities from the world of sports and the silver screen were again on hand to join over 650 guests. The benefit gained wide Bay Area coverage and sold out far in advance. In 1996, because of the event’s tremendous growth, the Coppola’s agreed to move the benefit to their newly acquired Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery in Rutherford. Over 1,000 guests enjoyed Napa’s finest food and wine, celebrity pizza tossing and dancing under the stars. In what has now become a much-anticipated annual event, Hands Across The Valley has succeeded in raising well over $20,000,000 to benefit Napa Valley’s Safety Net Food programs.

Community Action of Napa Valley

Community Action of Napa Valley (CANV) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children, families, seniors, and individuals throughout Napa County with programs focused on food security, healthy aging, and early childhood education. Through the Napa Valley Food Bank, CANV operates 8 food pantries, 12 free markets, and 6 USDA distribution locations across the county, helping provide nutritious food to more that 15,000 local residents in need each month. CANV’s Meals on Wheels program delivers meals and support to more than 450 seniors each week, helping older adults remain healthy, independent, and connected. CANV Kids Development & Family Program is state subsidized childcare that provides affordable, high-quality full day and full year childcare and early education for children ages 18 months through pre-K at two Napa locations. CANV has served Napa County for more than 60 years.

The mission of Puertas Abiertas Community Resource Center (PACRC) is to work hand in hand with Napa County’s Latinx community to inspire and achieve healthy lifestyles, self-sufficiency and opportunities for leadership and community engagement. Our vision at Puertas Abiertas is a healthy, integrated community where there is no underserved population and where everyone has equitable access to services, resources, and civic participation. Puertas Abiertas is a  nonprofit organization in Napa that has been operating since 2005.  We provide a variety of health, social service, and education services that have a significant impact on family interaction, financial stability, civic involvement, and educational success. Our staff is bilingual/bicultural and trusted by our Spanish speaking community to provide accurate information.

Feeding It Forward works to reduce waste and alleviate hunger in Napa County through collaboration. We recover excess fresh food from donors and deliver it to organizations actively fighting hunger in our community. Founded in the fall of 2018 we have grown rapidly from only a few thousand meals to over 88,000 melas in the first 6 months of 2021. The impact of the pandemic and fires of 2020/2021 created an urgent need to feed more and more people throughout the county.  Aligned closely with COAD and 25+ organizations,  the Food Safety Net Committee, as well as CrossWalk Community Church’s Emergency Shelter we were quickly able to serve the hungry during this critical period.  Due to these ongoing alliances and our partners, Feeding It Forward is reducing food insecurity in the Napa Valley without a duplication of efforts. Every day, we are focused on safely recovering fresh, perishable food, transporting the food to our partnering organizations, and assisting our county’s efforts to ensure the vulnerable populations have access to food and nourishing meals. We could not do this without the support of our generous community. THANKS to everyone that has assisted!

Molly’s Angels

Molly’s Angels have been serving Napa County seniors for over 20 years providing free transportation to medical appointments and support services to ensure independent living for seniors with confidence, dignity, and integrity. In 2020, Molly’s Angels volunteers provided 3,094 rides to vital doctors, dentists, and eye appointments for seniors with no other transport options. Our “Hello Molly, Care Calls” volunteers made 11,865 calls to isolated seniors for a friendly chat and to ensure they had enough food in the cupboard, were healthy, and had someone to talk to. The Pandemic hit seniors especially hard, but we were there every step of the way providing groceries through our Emergency Grocery Delivery Program, ensuring seniors could get to vaccination clinics, as well as continuing to provide safe, friendly transport.  We have seen a 25% increase in the need for our services in the past 18 months and anticipate the need to continue to rise.

Food Vouchers

 Food vouchers are distributed among programs throughout Napa County (such as Cope Family Center, Napa Emergency Women’s Services, St. Vincent de Paul and Puertas Abiertas Community Resources Center) to help with crisis situations that need to be addressed immediately. Families that have no other alternatives can access the voucher program for food.

Turkey and Holiday Baskets

 Each year the Food Bank, Catholic Charities, work tirelessly to find turkeys for the Holiday Assistance Program. This program serves the poorest of our community and enables families to have a holiday meal. Due to the economic and housing crisis, this year we anticipate increasing numbers of individuals and families needing holiday baskets.

Board of Directors

George Altamura – President & Founder
Liz Alessio
Lori Altamura-Jones
George Gamble
Kristi Hammond
Nancy Gamble
Greg Goodin
Tim Herman
Bob Hurley – Vice President
Larry Kamer
Heather Luna
Gina Rosellini Moreno – Secretary
Shari Riggs – Treasurer
Fred Sallam 
Laura Srebro
Mike Thompson
John Truchard
Brad Wagner
Sean Dempsey – Executive Director

Event Production – Sean Dempsey & Associates
Website & Social Media – Mariah Velasquez with Life by Design Studio
Auction Management – Sean Dempsey & Associates
Volunteer Coordinator – Drene Johnson
Event Photographer – Art & Clarity
Program – Osborn Graphics