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As a much-needed food pantry closed Friday in Hayward, some of those that relied on the essential service were left questioning where they will go next for help
“There is a lot of good produce that I get here,” Violeta Chomo, a 28-year-old mother of three, told this news organization in Spanish on Friday. “I don’t know where else to go.”
Chomo, who said she lives near the parish, stood in line outside the South Hayward Parish food pantry Friday afternoon, not aware it was the pantry’s last. She is one of about 700 people the pantry served weekly
First Presbyterian Church of Hayward decided to cease operations at the pantry to focus more on its homeless shelter on Patrick Avenue, which houses up to 25 people daily, seven days a week
Church leadership this month chose to put reine in Hayward’s homeless population, the church’s demand for shelter space continues to rise director of outreach for First Presbyterian
First Presbyterian also operates a 24-hour shelter in Castro Valley. Shaw said the church’s new vision for the Hayward location is to expand to 24-hours daily, whereas currently it is open about 19 hours a day
The pantry, which had operated in the same location under different ownership for more than 50 years, has no dedicated food storage space – no industrial refrigerators, freezers, or dry storage. Since 2019, church officials estimate they served over 43,000 people
“It’s a challenge,” Shaw said
Limited space and a lack of repace, made it difficult to keep the pantry open since First Presbyterian moved to the location in 2019
After 20 years going once a week to collect food, nearby resident Maria Elena Gonzalez said it was unfortunate to see the pantry close. Now, she will have to find a new reliable weeklyght go
“It’s been a big help for me. The cost of living is very expensive here,” Elena Gonzalez said in Spanish on Friday. “It’s sad for me that they’re closing.”
Takija Gardner, CEO of local nonprofit Community Child Care Council (4Cs) of Alameda County, said her organization is expecting to absorb some of the need from residents following the pantry’s closure
“We know that the closure of the South Hayward Parish is a significant loss for the community,” Gardner said. “What we experienced when families have services cut or removed, we tend to try to at least support and try to fill the gap where needed.”
One of 11 other food distribution services within 5 miles of the South Hayward Parish food pantry, Gardner’s organization offers a monthly distribution for local residents on the first Thursday of every month
The closure comes at a particularly difficult time for food distributors, Gardner said, as local demand has increased
“There’s definitely a higher demand for food support right now,” Gardner said. “We’re seeing the uptick especially over the last few months.”
Other food distributors expect the demand to rise, and for many to face potential food insecurity soon
With recent cuts to California CalFresh and SNAP program benefits, which provide food assistance to thousands of families across the state, local food distribution services are bracing for the impact. For these groups and the people they serve, it’s a bad time to see a food pantry close
Michael Altfest, a spokesman for the Alameda County Community Food Bank, said that his organization, starting in June, expected between 20,000 to 30,000 county residents to either partially or completely lose food assistance benefits
“That is the biggest challenge on the horizon for us now. Over the next 15 months we’re going to start to see what the effect is,” Altfest said. “One of those people losing their benefits would be unacceptable. Hundreds would be bad. Thousands will be catastrophic.”
For a list of other available food distribution services within 5 miles of the South Hayward Parish location, visit firstpreshayward.org. The Alameda County Community Food Bank also operates an emergency food helpline between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 510-635-3663
