Funviralpark Lina Shlimon, 46, helped an elderly mother pick up fresh produce, meat, milk and eggs from Second Harvest’s San Mateo delivery site Thursday morning.
“My parents are elderly and low-income, but being able to get food from here is a big help,” said Shlimon, a San Mateo resident who works at a restaurant. “It’s a relief to not have to worry about where your next meal will come from.”
62-year-old Fletcher Stanford visits the food bank three times a week to collect food for him and his wife, as well as neighbors and friends who can’t go for work or health reasons. He says he helps about 15 to 20 of his families facing dire food insecurity.
“People rely on food banks. There is no question about that,” Stanford said. “Everything is insanely expensive now: food, rent, gas. This is literally a life saver.”
Nearly three years after the pandemic, hunger is still rampant in the San Francisco Bay Area. At the Second Harvest distribution site, about 300 people gathered on a chilly December morning to gather ingredients for a meal they planned to make over the Christmas weekend.
Demand for food bank services has reached levels not seen since the pandemic began, donations are tapering off, and critical government support is ending. It provides food assistance to low-income families in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, two of the Bay Area’s wealthiest counties.
Second Harvest CEO Leslie Bacho said: “The need for communities now is close to the levels seen at the height of the pandemic.
Second Harvest fed 485,000 people in November. That’s more than an 80% increase for him from pre-pandemic levels. Running distribution sites, churches and community centers, he partners with over 400 organizations to deliver food to low-income families. Most of the funding for the year came from donations, which is down 37% from two years ago when the need was the same, Bacho said.
Food prices in the San Francisco area rose 10% in November compared to the same period last year, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data. And more people are relying on his CalFresh for help this holiday season than usual. A recent Chronicle analysis found that more than 600,000 people in Bay Area counties enrolled in state programs this fall, up nearly 50% from three years ago.
With the pandemic exacerbating income inequality by hitting working-class families hard, and record-high inflation and still-soaring gasoline prices sparking despair, some are turning to food banks for help. said Bacho.
“Usually food is where people compromise,” says Bacho. “You might be surprised to learn how many people skip meals and how many parents don’t eat to feed their children. When it comes to eating less food to stay on, that’s what’s going to happen.
Second Harvest estimates that one in four people on the peninsula are coping with food insecurity. A recent survey conducted by the organization found that 60% of respondents had less than $250 in their savings account.
“People are one step away from sickness, car crashes, accidents, and hitting rock bottom,” says Bacho. “Most of the people in line with us have jobs. are still underemployed.”
According to Moody’s Analytics, US households spent an average of $396 more per month on the same goods and services in November than they did a year ago. Inflation has eased in recent months, but is still at its highest level in 40 years.
Attorney General Rob Bonta stopped by the Second Harvest site Thursday morning to hold a press conference about the importance of donating to food banks and share tips for safely donating.
“With food prices continuing to rise, it may be difficult for some families to make ends meet this holiday season,” Bonta said in a statement. Be sure to do your research and make sure the charity is legal.”
Other food banks, such as the Alameda County Community Food Bank, also say that one in four residents suffers from hunger. In the county, between January 2019 and his September of this year, he saw an 84% increase in households receiving CalFresh benefits, with nearly 100,000 new households enrolled.
“We know communities are usually thinking about hunger during the holidays, but in a world where hunger is a problem 365 days a year,” said Michael Altfest, director of community engagement and marketing at the food bank. “In January, food banks will face as high a need as they faced during the holidays. This is why community support is so important throughout the year.” .”
In Richmond, the Bay Area Rescue Mission serves a hot lunch at 1:00 pm daily across from the shelter on McDonald Avenue. Over the past year, according to Stephanie Sewell, director of development at the nonprofit, demand has increased along with inflation.
“I’ve seen people start lining up at 10 in the morning,” says Sewell. “We serve coffee and hot chocolate (side by side) and it breaks my heart.”
Second Harvest needs to raise $25 million by the end of December to meet demand for the fiscal year so it can support those who are dependent, Bacho said.
65-year-old Ravinder Singh from San Mateo stood in line to pick up food for his family members, his unemployed wife and four children.
“Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done without it,” says Singh. “People are suffering and services like this help a lot. For some, it’s a matter of survival.”
For more information about Second Harvest, visit shfb.org or call 1-866-234-3663.
Chronicle reporter John King contributed to this story.
Shwanika Narayna is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected] twitter: @Shwanika Narayan
