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
Thanks to David Hott for this insightful piece.
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The City of Santa Clara, especially the City Council, must seriously consider protecting residents from wasteful spending. Measure I was deceitful in the way it buried pork into the ballot language, making it appear to voters that $400 million would be spent on crumbling infrastructure. In that package are tens of millions of dollars aimed at building an indoor shooting and tactics (aka combat town) that no other city in Santa Clara County – or our neighboring counties – seems to have justification. Decades ago, Santa Clara County acquired the National Guard building and facilities and upgraded them to be a tactical training center and law enforcement educational facility. It’s located at 155 West Hedding Street, just 3 miles (10 minutes) from Santa Clara’s police department headquarters. https://sheriff.santaclaracounty.gov/bureaus/support-services/training-and-professional-development-division
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City of Santa Clara staff estimates the bond will cost $19 for every $100k a property is assessed. That’s $95 for every one-bedroom condo, at least $380 for every single-family detached home, and probably $1,000 for every multi-family property that will be passed down to renting tenants. Imagine the negative impact that will have on families already struggling to make ends meet or the dent in pocketbooks of those who might otherwise consider donating to Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen.
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Unfortunate incidents needing armed response have happened before in Santa Clara County, but it’s very rare. If you recall the VTA rail yard shooting of 2021, the officers and deputies who responded effectively were trained at already established facilities throughout the County, like the Richey Training Center. There is no benefit to residents of having an indoor shooting range within the city; Santa Clara police officers can coordinate and use the same facilities they’ve been using for decades, that is maintained and upgraded by the County and taxpayer money (yes, Santa Clarans already pay for that).