This November OAP would like to encourage our community to support its neighbors by donating to the Alameda County Community Food Bank. We will be hosting a virtual food drive for the month of November. Our goal is to raise $1,000. We will also be collecting food donations at each location that we will drop off with the food bank at the end of the month, BUT we really encourage folks to donate money directly to the food bank. Even if it is just a few dollars, each dollar the food bank receives translates into $7 worth of food. It allows them to purchase perishable items like milk, eggs, fruits and vegetables, which are important sources of nutrition. If you plan to bring in food to our drop box, please check out this flyer on the types of food they do not accept and the types of foods they always need more of.
We were inspired to start this fund drive when we learned that SNAP benefits will likely not be renewed in the month of November if the government remains shut down. During past shutdowns the Department of Agriculture has approved emergency funding to keep food benefit programs running, but this administration has said so far that it will not do the same. Which means about 175,000 Alameda County community members will be without the food benefits they rely on. Additionally, government employees have not been paid for weeks at this point, and are having a hard time paying bills and putting food on the table. All this means that our local food banks will have an even higher demand than usual, when there is often already an uptick in need approaching the holidays. The state will be providing emergency funding to help fill the gaps, and Governor Newsom has called up the National Guard to help the food banks cope with increasing demand (an appropriate use of the National Guard, we think). It still won’t be enough. Even if the government reopens, it will take time for systems to get running again and people who have been going without pay to catch up financially.
There is so much going on right now that it can feel overwhelming (see also: terrifying, infuriating). This is one small way we can stand in solidarity with our community. Please join us!
