As the nation’s suffering economy continues to see little to no fluctuation, Bay Area food banks say they are working diligently to feed thousands of hungry residents during the holiday season.
While families struggle to make ends meet, Alameda County food banks attempt to counter the hard economic times through the distribution of food donations they receive from various organizations and private individuals around the Bay Area.
Local food banks raised awareness of holiday food drives and campaigns through advertisements and solicitations in hopes to meet the high demand for food.
Compared to last year, there has been a significant increase in food distribution over this holiday season to accommodate for the higher amount of families in need of assistance, according to the Alameda County Community Food Bank.
A hunger study conducted by the food bank found that demand leading up to the holiday season increased by 23 percent since 2008 and continues to rise.
“Our clientele has more than doubled since 2008, growing rapidly in that amount of time,” said Hank Leeper, Alameda Food Bank executive director. “We continue to sign people up [for assistance]. The clientele size is still steadily growing.”
The Alameda Food Bank consistently served 2,200 families in 2010 for a total of 5,600 residents, or eight percent of the city’s population. Leeper estimates the food bank will exceed that number by at least five to six percent this year.
In the spirit of the holiday season, the food bank requested donations of turkey, ham and other various holiday fixings through the months of November and December to ensure that less fortunate families still had food present at the table during the holidays.
Outside of the season, the food bank runs a Monthly Food Pantry program, which provides a three-day supply of basic foods to Alameda households. In addition to the food pantry program, the Perishable Food Program entitles food bank clients to perishable items such as bread and produce, guaranteeing residents nutritional food items so they can partake in a healthy diet.
“It benefits the community drastically and we help make people’s lives better,” said Leeper. “We have people coming from all walks of life; retired people, young families in need, [individuals] who are very successful business people trying to make ends meet, we see it every day.”
Due to the recession, the stereotypical image of families in need of assistance has transformed. Gone are the days when the lower class citizens were the only individuals in need of a helping hand. Middle and upper class Americans are now feeling the pressure of the unforgiving economy.
“More than 40 percent of the families we assist have at least one working adult, anecdotally we see families where both parents are working full time,” said Mike Altfest, Alameda County Community Food Bank community manager. “When it comes down to it they just can’t cover it and the food budget is typically the first that sees cutbacks.”
According to Altfest, one in every six Alameda county residents will be in need of assistance at one point in their lives.
The Alameda Community Food Bank, Alameda County’s central food bank location, feeds approximately 49,000 people every week, 21,000 of which are children.
In order to feed as many hungry residents as possible, the community food bank adopted the idea of distributing chicken as opposed to turkey, the more expensive alternative, to ensure that families are getting some sort of protein over the holidays.
During Thanksgiving, the community food bank distributed 8,616 individual chickens, as well as additional holiday related food to households around Alameda County.
Despite the robust dispersal of food over the holiday, the demands for assistance were to high to fulfill the needs of several Alameda families. Two days prior to Thanksgiving, the food bank was an estimated 5,000 chickens short of meeting the demand.
“The agencies we work with may be purchasing extra protein items, but there will be a significant gap one way or another,” said Altfest.
Though there were shortages, Leeper said the participation from the community was higher than ever before. Volunteers did their due diligence to help community members in need by assisting in the distribution of thousands of pounds of food.
Almost completely volunteer run, the Alameda Food Bank relies on volunteers throughout the year to guarantee that food bank operations run smoothly, Leeper reiterated that volunteering is not simply a seasonal job. The demand for volunteers increases as the need for assistance continues to rise.
The San Francisco Food Bank relied on a record-high 25,000 volunteers throughout the year to pack, sort and hand out food.
“I can’t thank the food banks and volunteers enough,” said Sheila Cruz, food bank client. “They are responsible for feeding my children and for that I am grateful.”
*ACCFB = Alameda County Community Food Bank
