East Bay food banks hit hard by slashed government funding
The freeze on government spending disrupting business across the country is hitting one segment of the Bay Area's population especially hard as local food banks feel the pinch.
In Contra Costa and Solano counties, food bank officials are sounding the alarm about how cuts in funding from both federal and state governments are going to hurt an increasing number of families in need.
At the Monday food giveaway outside Concord's Monument Crisis Center, you can see who the "have nots" are. Shockingly, they look a lot like our grandparents.
A steady stream of elderly people lined up to get their allotment of fresh produce. Vicky Schroebel has been volunteering for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano since 2020 and she's watched as the number of people who need food has grown.
"It climbed measurably during the pandemic, and then it climbed after that, after the support kind of went away," explained Schroebel. "And two weeks ago, our crowd here was 40 or 50 people more than we'd been getting. So the numbers are climbing already."
That's why news of government budget cuts are so disturbing to her.
"It worries me to pieces," she said. "Even before this, food insecurity and housing insecurity were our two biggest challenges. And if the funding gets cut off, we've got families and individuals and kids and older folks who aren't going to have food to eat."
At the food bank's headquarters, it comes down to dollars and cents. While community donations are important, most of the food handed out is purchased at a discount from farmers and distributors. Like a large pile of bagged potatoes that were donated, but the food bank had to pay to transport them from Washington State.
Food bank President and CEO Caitlin Sly said it's the kind of thing that has been halted with the federal government's freeze on FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter Program.
"We are looking at potential cuts," said Sly. "We've already seen some cuts and the way that that could potentially impact the people we serve is really dire."
But it's not just the Trump administration. The state of California is also proposing an 87% cut in the amount of funding it sends to food banks to feed the needy through the CalFood program.
"This was state funding that was really increased during the pandemic, and now is going back to pre-pandemic levels," said Sly. "But the need has not gone back to pre-pandemic levels."
Much of the relief funds to food banks are distributed through United Way Bay Area. Laura Escobar, the nonprofit's VP of Safety Net Services, said the cuts will have real consequences.
"So there'll be more demand. There'll be more people lining up. And there will be hunger. Kids will go to bed hungry. Adults will give their food to their kids, and they will go to bed hungry. It will happen," said Escobar.
Back at the Concord food giveaway, Schroebel said she doesn't believe the government, on any level, is really thinking about how this is affecting people.
"I'm horrified," she said. "If we can't take care of the people in our communities who need food and support, then what are we doing as a society?"
Just in Contra Costa and Solano Counties alone, the Food Bank distributes enough food to provide more than 2.7 million meals each month. They are desperately asking companies and individuals who want to donate money during these uncertain times to call or visit their website at www.foodbankccs.org.
