ABOUT US | CALL Primrose

40 years

Celebrating

Proudly Serving Our Communities

OUR PURPOSE

“To compassionately address the issues of hunger and food insecurity by providing free, healthy groceries to those in need.”

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No Appointment Necessary.

OUR PASSION

CALL Primrose is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation providing free grocery assistance to low income families and individuals in San Mateo County.

Founded in 1983 as an information and referral hotline for those in need within our community, CALL soon became a drop in location in downtown Burlingame for those seeking emergency assistance.

Our mission is to compassionately address the issues of hunger and food insecurity within our community by providing free, healthy groceries to those in need.

In 2024 CALL Primrose was able to serve over 70,000 individuals in need by directly distributing more than 110,000 bags of groceries.

CALL Serves Individuals, Families, Seniors and those who are In Transition/Unhoused.

Anyone in need of grocery assistance is welcome!

Our Purpose

PODCAST

Terri Boesch, CALL Primrose's Executive Director was recently interviewed on the "Burlingame it's a Small Town" podcast. Click on the button below to learn more about CALL Primrose's History, missions, and who we serve.

Podcast

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ABOUT US

What began in 1983 as an information and referral service is now a drop-in food pantry, providing grocery assistance to low income families and individuals.

Over the past 40 years, thousands of people in need have come to CALL for assistance.

Funds and food donations are received from private foundations, businesses and service organizations, and through various Peninsula city and county grants.

Additional support comes from schools congregations and individuals within our community.

CALL’s administrative costs are kept very low, to ensure that the financial support we receive will go a long way in helping others.

CALL is able to assist those in need, due to the efforts of our roster of dedicated volunteers, without whom, we could not help so many in our community.

If you would like to volunteer, please let us know.

VOLUNTEER

About Us

HOW WE USE YOUR DONATIONS

Your donations help CALL provide more than 90,000 bags of groceries each year to those in our community in need. Monetary donations help support the purchase of fresh produce and dairy as well as other grocery items as needed, and make it possible for us to keep our doors open and to remain a reliable source to those who need us.

How We Use Your Donations

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OUR COMMUNITY SPONSORS

A special thank you to the many community organizations who support our commitment to providing free, healthy groceries to our neighbors in need.

If your organization would like to help support our communities through Call Primrose, please contact us.

Our Community Sponsors

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

“We believe that each and every human being has the ability to make the world a more beautiful place.”

Our Board of Directors

President of the Board

Cherie Wolfe Hammer

Cherie Wolfe Hammer joined the Board in 2019 as Secretary and became President in 2024. Cherie is a CFRE-certified nonprofit development and marketing professional, with an MBA from UC Berkeley Haas Business School. Coming to honor her late mother, a CALL charter founding member, she is passionate about making a difference in our community with compassion and grace. An avid equestrian, Cherie is mom to two twenty-something children and a house full of animals including backyard chickens and a big hound dog.

Secretary of the Board

Madalyn Friedman

Madalyn Friedman joined the Board in 2015. She was Board President from 2021-2023 and is currently serving as Secretary. She started as a volunteer serving clients one-on-one due to her belief that no one can be their best when their basic needs for food and shelter aren’t met. Throughout her tenure Madalyn has headed the Marketing Committee, leveraging her professional career in consumer marketing and strategy. Madalyn, who lives in Burlingame, is also a committed climate activist.

Treasurer of the Board

Linda White

Linda came to the Board in 2023 after volunteering and seeing the compassion and care that is provided for clients. Currently Board Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair, she has extensive background in financial services and is a retired CEO of a local credit union where she worked for 37 years. Linda lives in Daly City with her husband Larry and two adored dogs, Buster and Bruno.

Board Member

Patti Black

Patti Black has served as a CALL Board Member for 16 years. Past positions on the Board include President, Secretary, VP Personnel, and she is currently Chair of the Human Resources and Board Development Committee. Patti has a passion for solving hunger in the world and is involved in many causes to address hunger. She owns and is Managing Partner of Advanced Software Talent, a Bay Area IT contract staffing and project management company. Patti is a member of Burlingame United Methodist Church, one of the original founding partners of CALL Primrose.

Board Member

Mary Evans

Mary, a retired financial professional, joined the Board in 2023. She volunteers for HiCap (Medicare counseling), senior ministry (produce boxes for seniors at Trinity Baptist), and the African American Library Advisory Committee at the San Mateo Public Library. Mary has served on several organizations’ boards and committees as well as for the County of San Mateo. She is Co-founder of the library committee and the former African American Health Advisory Committee, now Bay Area Community Health Advisory Council. Mary, a lifelong student, lives in San Carlos.

Board Member

Nancy Miller

Nancy Miller is currently the Chair of the Strategy Committee, having previously served for many years as Treasurer. She began her involvement with CALL in 2008, volunteering both with food distribution and accounting/fiscal services. Nancy is a Managing Director at Bessemer Trust, providing wealth planning and investment advisory services to clients in the Bay Area. Prior to this role, she worked in various finance, banking, and investment capacities. Nancy lives in Burlingame with her husband and two children and is an active member of her community in support of CALL and related efforts.

Board Member

George Wailes

George joined the Board in the fall of 2023. He is a business trial attorney, representing individuals and businesses in trade secrets, corporate, real estate, trust, ERISA, and other business disputes. George is active with the California Lawyers Association, San Mateo County Bar Association, and the Legal Aid Society of California. He serves as a presider for the San Mateo County Mock Trial program. George is a referee for Hillsborough AYSO after having served on its board in various positions. He also has served on numerous other non-profit organization boards.

Board Member

Larry Wright Jr.

Larry joined the Board when the organization was a joint outreach and referral service of the Burlingame Presbyterian and United Methodist churches. At that time, he was appointed to represent the Methodist Church by their leadership because of his interest in CALL's mission and his position on the church finance team. Larry was Board President in 2014 when CALL Primrose became a 501(c)3 non-profit organization independent of the two churches. During his tenure, Larry has served as Treasurer and Vice President.

Executive Director

Terri Boesch

Terri Boesch, the organization’s Executive Director, has served in this role since 2014. Prior to Joining CALL Primrose Terri worked in the financial services industry, both as a Sr. VP with Citigroup and as a Partner with Alan Coster Associates. She also served as an Arbitrator for FINRA, the regulating agency for the Financial Services industry. Terri has volunteered for many community organizations, including the Hillsborough Schools Foundation, PARCA, CASA and the Hillsborough Beautification Foundation, and has chaired numerous committees and events within the community.

OUR COMMITMENT TO TRANSPARENCY

CALL Primrose is a 501(c)(3) California public benefit corporation, Tax ID# 47-2131340. We are committed to integrity and transparency in all our business and fiscal operations. View our most recent IRS 990 tax filings below. For more information, contact us.

Our Commitment to Transparency