A Berkeley nonprofit is ramping up its efforts to address two problems on the local level: food waste and hunger. It’s getting help with that mission from Bayer, a global company with operations in West Berkeley and a corporate vision “Health for all, Hunger for none.” 

Dandelion Kitchen prepares single-serving vegetarian meals three days a week using primarily recovered or donated ingredients and shares the creations with people in need. Both food waste and hunger are challenges in the community. According to Feeding America, 1 in 10 Alameda County residents experiences food insecurity, and Dandelion Kitchen estimates its efforts have recovered 4 tons of food waste in the first half of 2026 that would otherwise have wound up in the waste stream. 

Bayer encourages others to help fund Dandelion Kitchen or volunteer. 

Dandelion Kitchen spun out of a meals program at the Berkeley Food Network (BFN) three years ago. Since then, the organization has been cooking out of a shared kitchen at Urban Adamah in Northwest Berkeley. The arrangement has worked well, with Dandelion Kitchen’s volunteers working on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. They make about 750 meals a week and distribute them to supportive housing complexes, the Women’s Cancer Resource Center, the Women’s Daytime Drop-in Center, the Bear Pantry at University Village and through partnerships that now reach Contra Costa County, as well. 

This salad combined apples harvested by the Oakland Gleaners, celery and grapes from Berkeley Bowl, toasted pecans from the Cheeseboard Collective and dill from the farm at Urban Adamah. It went to residents at Golden Bears Homes on San Pablo Avenue. Courtesy of Dandelion Kitchen

They work closely with BFN to source fruits and vegetables, recovered mainly from Berkeley Bowl market. They also get food donations from such local merchants as Starter Bakery, the Cheeseboard Collective and Oaktown Spice Shop. 

Volunteers then cook up nutritious meals using the fresh ingredients combined with pantry staples or other items on hand. Recent dishes have included a black bean, mango and sweet corn salad, pasta salad with pistachio arugula pesto, summer stone fruit crisp and spicy bean and kale soup.

Gale Berkowitz, right, from El Cerrito volunteers at Dandelion Kitchen weekly. At left is her daughter, chef Lena Miller, visiting from Colorado. Courtesy of Dandelion Kitchen

While the Dandelion Kitchen volunteers appreciate the use of Urban Adamah’s kitchen, sharing space has its limitations, said co-founders Rob Biniaz and Veronica Volny. The team of approximately 35 volunteers can only use the kitchen during certain times, and they can’t customize the layout for the improvisational cooking style that comes from working with whatever ingredients happen to be available on a given day.

Soon, those limitations will be in the past. A donor has acquired a building for Dandelion Kitchen in northwest Berkeley, and the organization is completing renovations. The 2,500-square-foot space will include a 1,000-square-foot kitchen designed specifically for its use. Work is scheduled to be completed by September.

“It’s just down the street, a few blocks, and it’s going to give us 24/7 access and allow us to really increase our capacity,” said Biniaz, who also serves as the organization’s board chair. The expansion will allow Dandelion Kitchen to add more volunteers and distribution partners. 

A new workspace for Dandelion Kitchen is under construction in the Gilman District of West Berkeley on 8th Street and is expected to be ready by early fall. Courtesy of Dandelion Kitchen

Bayer helps turn up the heat

Even before the move, Dandelion Kitchen has been increasing its capacity by making small changes that translate into big results.

Last year, the organization inherited a commercial food dicer from FoodShift, a food recovery organization in Alameda Point that was closing its prepared food operations. Not having to hand-dice onions and other vegetables that go into virtually every dish promised a significant time savings, but the equipment’s blades were cost-prohibitive. Funding from Bayer covered the cost of the blades. Bayer’s support also helped purchase a large commercial convection oven, a commercial freezer and refrigerator. The contribution will help buy more equipment for the new kitchen.

This beet and citrus salad combined donations from the Cheeseboard Collective, Berkeley Bowl and the Oakland Gleaners, and went to supportive housing residents in Berkeley. Courtesy of Dandelion Kitchen

“The Bayer investment came along at a very propitious time because it allowed us to buy some key pieces of equipment,” Biniaz said. 

“We ended 2025 sending out just over 27,000 servings of food, and we recovered just over 6 tons of food that otherwise would have gone into the waste stream. A lot of that was due to the capacity that Bayer allowed us to increase.”

The Bayer funds also will help purchase more equipment for the new facility. Dandelion Kitchen is going all electric with its appliances, including commercial-grade induction burners that will bring large soup pots to a boil quickly.

Bayer support for other nonprofits

The Bayer funding is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to supporting organizations that address climate action, health equity and economic resilience in West Berkeley. In 2025, Bayer awarded nearly $425,000 in investments — to be given over three years — to six community organizations, including Dandelion Kitchen. 

The awards were part of a 30-year development agreement extension in 2022 with the city of Berkeley, which included $33.1 million in community investments over the agreement’s full term.

The other five organizations that received funding have also been expanding their work in the community.

The other five organizations that received funding have also been expanding their work in the community are: 

Women’s Daytime Drop-in Center helps unhoused women and children transition into safe housing.

Girls Garage, a design and construction program for teen girls and gender-expansive youth, completed its first full home renovation in 2025.

Homeless Action Center is helping people navigate the changing public benefits environment.

House of Loving Hands has three community events planned for the second half of 2026: a domestic violence and disability 5K awareness walk on July 17, a self-defense workshop Oct. 17 and a Christmas toy giveaway Dec. 20.

Waterside Workshops offers climate-action-related internships and jobs for young people.

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