Erik Talkin, CEO of the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County, is a recognized innovator and leader in America’s food bank network.

Previously, he was a board member of the California Association of Food Banks and sat on the National Advisory Council of Feeding America. Committed to helping people move from simple charity to building long-term food security, Erik authored Hunger into Health and has helped create innovative, national-award-winning children’s nutrition education programs such as Healthy School Pantry and Kid’s Farmers Market.

Erik is also a writer and filmmaker and has served as a principal in two production companies. His short film The Gallery, starring Helena Bonham Carter, was selected for the London Film Festival. He has won an International Television Association Award for writing and directing educational drama and his theatrical work has been produced on the London Fringe.

Erik lives in Santa Barbara, California.