As many local residents know, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep our families fed, and the charitable food system — a critical part of our safety net — is severely strained.
Family incomes fell and grocery bills skyrocketed during the pandemic, doubling the demand for food assistance from Second Harvest of Silicon Valley and the meal providers it supplies, like Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen. Emergency assistance helped keep many families from going hungry at that time, but when emergency Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds ended in 2023, the demand at charitable food organizations surged anew. Now, with food prices continuing to rise, an egg shortage caused by an avian flu outbreak, broad economic uncertainty, and recent cuts to food aid, more local children and adults than ever are food insecure.
Now, the Trump Administration is proposing to slash approximately $300 billion in federal food assistance over the next 10 years. These cuts would mean more children going to bed without dinner, more seniors having to choose between buying food or their prescription medicine, and more parents skipping meals so their children can eat.
These children and adults will come to nonprofit community organizations for help. We are their last line of defense, and our resources are becoming increasingly strained.
How do we fix this problem? What can we do to help?
Understanding food insecurity is a good place to start. When you are food insecure, you are not sure where your next meal will come from. The continuous weight and worry are debilitating. Food-insecure adults have an increased risk of diseases like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and mental health disorders. Food-insecure children do worse in school, and that can affect their later earning potential, perpetuating the cycle of poverty.
Who are the food-insecure people in our community? They are our kids’ teachers, the checker at the local grocery store, and the server at the restaurant down the street. They are working families, seniors, and veterans. They are more than 1 in 3 children in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. They are our neighbors who are unhoused today and the high-tech employees who could be laid off tomorrow. And at any time, they could be you or me.
I know what it’s like to be a child and try to help my parents find food for our family. And I know what it’s like to be the dad who let his daughter eat the mac and cheese first and then ate whatever was left. Food insecurity doesn’t follow ideological, religious, or racial boundaries. It is not always obvious. Many of the guests who visit our A La Carte trucks at schools such as Sunnyvale’s San Miguel Elementary are parents picking up food while also picking up their children from school.
Understanding food insecurity is that first step. Reducing the stigma around the issue is next. Get informed. Please talk about the issue and share the facts with your family and friends. Look out for your neighbors. Be visible in your compassion. Find a nonprofit organization in your community whose mission resonates with you and ask to learn more. Volunteer. Donate food or supplies. Write a check if you can. Stand up and speak out about the policy decisions that are threatening the lives of the people who comprise our communities.
Together, we can be a community that lives up to its potential.
David P. Hott is the CEO of Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen
Related Post:
When Federal Dollars Stall, Local Giving Becomes Lifesaving
