CITY OF MENIFEE
SUBJECT: Memorandum of Understanding with Menifee Valley Community Cupboard for Edible Food Recovery Grant
MEETING DATE: May 7, 2025
TO: Mayor and City Council
PREPARED BY: Kori Jones, Senior Management Analyst
REVIEWED BY: Mariana Mitchell, Community Services Director APPROVED BY: Armando G. Villa, City Manager
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RECOMMENDED ACTION
1. Approve and authorize the City Manager to execute a Memorandum of Understanding with the Menifee Valley Community Cupboard for a six-month term to continue activities funded under the CalRecycle Edible Food Recovery Grant Program.
DISCUSSION
On February 1, 2023, the Menifee City Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City and the Menifee Valley Community Cupboard (MVCC) to expand food donation programs in the City. This initiative was developed in response to the requirements of Senate Bill (SB) 1383, which requires jurisdictions to expand their capacity to receive and donate unused edible food from businesses.
The original MOU with MVCC expired on April 1, 2025. To maintain the momentum of the program and align with the recently extended CalRecycle Edible Food Recovery Grant term of October 1, 2025, a new MOU has been proposed for the period of May 7, 2025, through October 1, 2025.
In October 2022, the City was one of only two jurisdictions statewide to receive funding through the Edible Food Recovery Grant Program, securing a total award of $241,360. As the primary grantee, the City administers all grant funds and is responsible for reimbursing MVCC for eligible expenses associated with the program.
The MVCC has provided vital assistance to families in the Menifee area since 1998 and serves over 700 households each month with food drives and its thrift store at their primary location in the Sun City area. The MVCC has deep roots in the community and has established close relationships with many local businesses. Through the grant partnership, the MVCC now runs satellite food distribution sites in the underserved communities of Quail Valley and Romoland by
City of Menifee Staff Report
MOU with Menifee Valley Community Cupboard
May 7, 2025
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8 1
utilizing a refrigerated box truck purchased with grant funds. The refrigerated truck has also allowed MVCC to accept and provide more fresh produce and meat products to families in need.
Upgrades to their preparation station at their main headquarters also allow MVCC to accept and repackage bulk donations received from businesses. Lastly, MVCC has assisted with providing education to businesses on understanding the SB 1383 legislation, how to establish a donation program for any unused food, clarifying the types of food that can be donated, setting up recordkeeping, and food storage techniques. These efforts have helped the City to meet the requirements of SB 1383 and expanded food donation and collection in Menifee ensuring that more households are cared for.
Since the award, the Edible Food Recovery Program has accomplished several key goals and established the City’s compliance with the related section of SB 1383, including:
•Funded purchase of a refrigerated box truck to be retained by MVCC and used to operate satellite food distribution sites in Romoland and Quail Valley •Upgrade and expansion of MVCC primary location to allow for acceptance of bulk donation •Purchase equipment to support satellite food distribution •Created two jobs (MVCC program support and driver)
•Created branded outreach
•Funded consultant services to conduct state required inspections and outreach to Tier 1 and Tier 2 businesses
Staff is requesting a one-time, six-month temporary MOU to allow for the expenditure of $41,643.53 in remaining grant funds. These funds would be used to reimburse MVCC for eligible program expenses and to support the City’s completion of required food waste prevention outreach to local businesses, as outlined in the grant agreement. An outline of the proposed use of the remaining funds is provided in Table 1.
TABLE 1: REMAINING GRANT EXPENDITURES
Budget Category Amount Budgeted Activity
Education $ 1,878.33 Waste Prevention Training Consultant Services Equipment $ 900.16 Wagon for Satellite Distribution Site Indirect Costs $ 7,756.38 Grant Supervision - City Personnel, Office Printer Maintenance $ 1,729.23 Box Truck Preventative Maintenance and Fuel Personnel $ 29,379.43 MVCC Program Support Personnel and Driver $ 41,643.53 Total Remaining Grant Funds
STRATEGIC PLAN OBJECTIVE
Thriving Economy
FISCAL IMPACT
Approval of the MOU will allow the Community Services department to expend the remaining $41,643.53 in grant funds prior to the program’s conclusion on October 1, 2025. The reimbursable City of Menifee Staff Report
MOU with Menifee Valley Community Cupboard
May 7, 2025
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expenses will be funded through the CalRecycle Edible Food Recovery Grant Program within the Grant Fund (2301-CSD-SWES-658164). Failure to complete the associated activities may result in the forfeiture of unspent funds.
ATTACHMENTS
1. 2025 MVCC Proposed MOU
2. 2023 MVCC MOU