Food bank service up amid virus
SANTA CRUZ >> It has been a tough year economically throughout 2020 with unemployment skyrocketing in the spring due to the coronavirus pandemic, which forced many families to resort to food banks and food stamps for the first time.
Unemployment peaked at the start of the pandemic in March and April as the country saw a net loss of more than 21.2 million jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. There has been job recovery since May, but the country has yet to reach total recovery and Americans are still experiencing largescale economic effects.
“Our services have doubled since basically February,” said Suzanne Willis, chief development officer at Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County. “If you look at our numbers from this time last year to today, we’ve been serving twice as many people twice as much food.”
Families in Santa Cruz County have been hit especially hard between the pandemic and the CZU August Lightning Complex fire. The fire destroyed more than 900 homes. Some families in the county are now homeless and jobless, forcing them into food insecurity among other economic issues.
“That’s what we’re here for, especially during COVID and everything we’ve seen with the economic meltdown as a result of it,” Willis said. “We’re here to not only help families get the food that they need that can also help them access food.”
Second Harvest offers food pickups at 35 locations across the county. There are 33 regular distribution stations and two drive thru pickups at the county fairgrounds in Watsonville and the Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz.
Residents who are in need of the services provided by the county food bank can find nearby distribution centers on Second Harvest’s website thefoodbank.org/find-foodcomida or by calling the community food hotline at 831-662-0991.
However, Second Harvest is more than just a resource for picking up food. Second Harvest also helps those in need set up and use a CalFresh account, which is the state’s version of food stamps, as well as set up an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card.
CalFresh can prove advantageous to both families and need and the local economy. Food stamps and EBT cards allow food insecure families to shop at local grocery stores so they can get the groceries they want and stimulate the local economy in the process.
The food stamp program allots up to $680 a month for a family of four, which can equate to four food pickups at food distribution, or $204 a month for a single person, according to the Second Harvest website.
“CalFresh is the first line of defense (for) the community,” Willis said. “Not only is it giving people the choice of what they’d like to buy but it’s an economic multiplier for the county as well.”
For more information about CalFresh including how to apply, visit thefoodbank.org/calfreshinterest or call the community food hotline at 831-662-0991.
Despite the increase in need from the community, Second Harvest has been able to get through the pandemic so far and continue to provide food to families in need. A large part of its ability to handle the influx of customers is due to the community at large.
“I have to say, the Santa Cruz community has been so incredibly generous. The people who still have their jobs and still have the ability to support things like the food banks have done that,” Willis said. “With the support of the community that we have we are able to source the food and distribute it out to the people that need it.”
For more information about donating to the food bank, visit www.thefoodbank.org/ways-to-give. Donors can also mail a gift to 800 Ohlone Parkway, Watsonville, CA 95076 or call at 831-232-8663. Donations help Second Harvest continue to serve those with food insecurity.
“We are here for the community,” Willis said. “We’ll be here as long as they need us, distributing the healthy food that people need to thrive.”