SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – On Thursday, a Bay Area food bank released the results of a report focused on the rising rate of food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank annually served around 32,000 households.
6-months later that number has doubled.
“Now we’re serving food for 60,000 households. So we have seen a tremendous increase in the people who need food assistance and are asking for food assistance,” Paul Ash said.
The alarming increase in food insecurity during the pandemic is behind the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank’s COVID-19 hunger report.
The food bank’s executive director Paul Ash says one of the major takeaways from the report was the impact of the shelter-in-place impact on the senior community.
“Yeah, seniors have been particularly hard hit. They got all of the same issues the rest of us have and health officials tell them to stay at home. Don’t expose yourself. You’re in a high risk group,” Ash said.
Prior to COVID, the food bank delivered to about 250 seniors each week.
“We scaled that up to 12,000 and that’s the continuing number that we plan on running at least until the end of the year,” Ash said.
Before the pandemic, the food bank had 275 pantries in San Francisco and Marin. Now there are 300, including 28 emergency pop-ups distribution sites.
“Wherever we could find the space. In school yards. Some in parking lots. Any place we can throw up a tent and get the word out,” Ash said.
The report also shows unemployment having a major impact of those needing food.
“We saw immediately when businesses closed and workers were laid off, our lines just grew tremendously,” Ash said.
Ash says the COVID-19 report will help the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank fine-tune their effort to help feed the hungry during the pandemic.
“After six months now we can re-evaluate how well we hit the target and fine tune it a little bit better,” Ash said.
If you would like to volunteer or make a donation, just contact the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank.
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