Would you consider buying fresh produce or a pound of meat a luxury? For thousands of our neighbors in Contra Costa and Solano counties this is all too often the case.
Meet Melissa. Melissa is a single mom who works full-time. With the high cost of living, she tells us she would not be able to eat without the help she gets from the Food Bank. The food she does buy, she gets solely from the dollar store. She can’t remember the last time she went to a regular grocery store. And meat? Forget about it. That’s a luxury she just can’t afford right now.
Meet Tami. Tami and her fiancé are raising three beautiful little girls all under the age of six and two have special needs. Tami takes care of the children while her fiancé Ed works part-time with a promise of full-time work soon. Tami and Ed started a food pantry at their church. They still volunteer there when they can but the food they receive from the Food Ban is what helps them put food on the table these days. In fact, Tami told us the Food Bank saved Christmas for her family this year.
These are just two examples of real people facing hunger in our community. Your support is changing lives. For every dollar you donate, the Food bank of Contra Costa and Solano can provide two meals to the community. That’s two less meals people like Melissa and Tami have to worry about. Visit our Give Help section to learn how you can help end hunger in our community.
Food Insecurity on the Rise
The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano is serving nearly 13% more people than we were just two years ago.
Nearly 58 percent of low-income residents in Contra Costa County were food insecure in 2009, California Food Policy Advocates and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research report. Was 16 percent two years earlier.
86.5% of clients served by emergency food programs in Contra Costa and Solano counties had income below 130% of the federal poverty level. (That’s less than $ 2,422 a month for a family of four.)
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