• Photo by Heidi Walters
• Shawna Miller, a Welfare Work Experience Employee at Food for People, started out as a volunteer.

Last year, the nonprofit Food for People, Inc., distributed 1.6 million pounds of food to Humboldt's neediest. Until Outerspacians start parachuting cornucopias or other goodies onto our heads, Food for People likely will keep winning in this category.

The 33-year-old nonprofit, which started out closet-sized, has grown into a wide-reaching outfit with 12 programs that serve 12,000 low-income people each month in Humboldt County -- which, according to California Health Interview Survey data, has more food insecurity and hunger than most counties in the state. It distributes backpacks to needy kids on Fridays after school; brown bag lunches to about 300 seniors; food during emergencies; and more. Donations come in from all directions, including tens of thousands of pounds of fresh produce from local farmers. A new program this year, the Mobile Produce Pantry, sends a refrigerated truck stuffed with fresh fruits and veggies -- mostly locally grown -- all over the county so that people who live too far from a food pantry can eat well, too.

The Breakdown: Food For People 6.5%, Six Rivers Planned Parenthood 6.3%, Ink People Center For The Arts 4.9%, CASA 3.7%, Betty’s Blue Angels 2.7%, EPIC 2.7%. Category popularity: 20th.