The Long Beach food bank raided by law enforcement last week is the subject of a state investigation regarding the use of government funds, the California Department of Social Services confirmed to the Long Beach Post.
The Foodbank of Southern California, a 49-year-old nonprofit that operates out of Long Beach’s Washington neighborhood, abruptly closed its doors Thursday morning when CHP officers were seen going through the building, taking paperwork and moving out pallets of food.
CHP Sgt. Daniel Keene confirmed officers executed a search warrant at the food bank Thursday to assist with the state Department of Social Services’ investigation.
A spokesman for the Department of Social Services, Scott Murray, confirmed the investigation is related to the foodbank’s use of government funds but declined to give any more details while the probe is underway.
In a statement, the Foodbank of Southern California CEO Brian Weaver said the nonprofit has suspended operations until the investigation is resolved, and he laid blame on his predecessor.
Weaver said the former CEO, Jeanne Cooper, “used food bank funds for personal benefit and for purposes unrelated to our operations or mission.”
Weaver said the nonprofit’s board suspended Cooper while it conducted an internal investigation and permanently removed her after preliminary findings revealed the alleged misuse of funds.
“We also engaged an outside firm to conduct its own thorough investigation, and we are awaiting their final report,” Weaver said.
Cooper denied the accusations and said she’s been trying to blow the whistle on corrupt practices among board members.
“I have never stolen or pocketed a dime from the Foodbank for my personal benefit,” she said in an email.
Cooper said she wrote letters to the California Attorney General, the state Department of Social Services and the certified public accountants who audit the Foodbank of Southern California, urging them to look into the board’s practices.
In one of those letters she wrote that the board has “allowed misuse of funds and turned a blind eye to ‘kickbacks’ amongst and between board members.”
Cooper worked for the food bank for more than a decade before being named CEO in October 2021, according to her LinkedIn.
The Foodbank of Southern California distributes millions of dollars worth of food each year. From July 2022 to June 2023, it took in $64.8 million in contributions and grants and reported net assets of $17.4 million, according to its most recent tax filing. Established in 1975, the foodbank provides an average of 40 million pounds of food to over 850,000 food-insecure children, adults and seniors per year, according to its website.
Its facility on San Francisco Avenue in Long Beach is typically open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
“We know how important our assistance is to so many here, and we are working hard to restore our complete services as soon as possible,” Weaver said.
A letter sent to the food bank’s distribution partners last Thursday directed them to contact the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank to continue distributing USDA food through The Emergency Food Assistance Program.
The letter also stated that, effective Thursday, the Memorandum of Understanding between the food bank and the state Department of Social Services was terminated, meaning the Foodbank of Southern California could no longer distribute USDA food commodities.
Roger Castle, chief development officer for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, said his organization is “ramping up” to help agencies that relied on the Foodbank of Southern California for food distribution.
The LA Regional Food Bank has two locations for food pick up, one in the City of Industry and another in the Central-Alameda neighborhood near Downtown Los Angeles. Both locations are more than 20 miles from the Long Beach food bank.
“We’re definitely here to help everybody get food assistance and we’re going to step up to make sure that we can help those people that are affected,” Castle said.
Anyone looking for food assistance can find a local food pantry here.