Food is key for individuals to survive, stay out of poverty, and participate in society. Beyond the immediate hardships of hunger, a long-term lack of access to healthy food prevents families from thriving in school and fighting deadly chronic diseases like diabetes.

Many go hungry

According to one study by No Kid Hungry, students who ate school breakfast scored 17.5% above those who did not on standardized math tests. Even though hunger seeps into every aspect of life, there isn’t much political appetite to reform existing food programs.

Politicians have many competing priorities, such as racial equity, climate change, and cost of living. However, we cannot forget that food is a deeply interconnected issue. When elected officials bring food to the forefront of their agenda, they can uplift historically marginalized groups, or improve the cost of living by increasing the supply of affordable healthy food options. According to Buffy Wicks, Assembly Member in Oakland, 40 percent of Black households and 30 percent of Latina/Latino households are food insecure.

How bad is the hunger crisis in the Bay Area?

Despite California’s status as the wealthiest state, according to one USDA survey, one-eighth of California’s residents and one-sixth of children face hunger daily. In a region where half the nation’s fruits and vegetables are grown, it is startling that around 5 million Californians don’t have enough to eat regularly.

Although it is difficult to pin down the food insecurity rate in the Bay Area, food banks and programs can provide a strong litmus test. For example, this year, the Alameda County Community Food Bank is on pace to distribute its largest amount of food in the nonprofit’s 38-year history (that is, 62 million pounds compared with 52 million last year). In addition, on the Peninsula, Rachel Monaco, Senior Manager of Policy and Advocacy, at Second Harvest of Silicon Valley noted that the food bank has been serving over 500,000 people a month, more than double pre-pandemic numbers.

Monaco credits some of the rise in need — roughly 50,000 more clients served from 2022 to 2023 — to the end of Emergency Allotments for CalFresh recipients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties, a total of $16 million in monthly emergency SNAP allotments was distributed to qualifying residents. The program’s end put a big dent in families’ monthly food budgets.

Image credit: Kayana Szymczak, Bloomberg

The growing lines at food banks are just a symptom of the deeper cause of food insecurity: income inequality. As Monaco commented, “People envision Silicon Valley as [a] paragon of wealth and prosperity, where people come from all over the world to seek an American dream… there’s a lot of people who are really struggling to make ends meet.”

Bay Area residents often don’t qualify for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and when they do qualify, the benefit only covers a fraction of the cost of each meal. Although they might make more than the federal poverty line, they often spend over 95% of their income on fixed costs, such as rent, and must aggressively cut food costs. Families are forced to turn to the only affordable and plentiful option in their communities: fast food.

Here’s what elected officials can do

According to Laura Vollmer, a Community Nutrition and Health Advisor who has worked on food assistance and education programs in San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties, we must reform existing food programs, like CalFresh, to fit local contexts. When $500 buys you less in the Bay Area than it does in Arizona, officials at the congressional level should work to eliminate the benefit gap. For instance, the Poverty Line Act (H.R. 6639, introduced in 2023 by Rep. Kevin Mullin, California’s District 15), proposed to raise the federal poverty line to incorporate regional cost of living differences.

In addition, the government can support regional food systems through purchasing programs. An important alternative to subsidizing large-scale food conglomerates, these purchasing programs can support local food businesses like community centers. For example, since schools provide crucial access to food via breakfast and lunch programs, the federal government can facilitate a steady supply of locally sourced food at a competitive price.

A few regions like Santa Clara Cou​​nty (led by Food Systems Manager Cayce Hill) are already implementing a purchasing program.

What about citizens?

Image courtesy of Second Harvest of Silicon Valley

While elected officials play one part in a large-scale food system transformation, citizens can also make a big difference.

You can vote in state and federal elections for people who are fighting for food issues. To research potential candidates you can use sites like Ballotpedia. Furthermore, you can contact your state representatives and encourage them to vote on important food bills. We suggest gaining inspiration from the Hunger Legislation Tracker or California Environmental Voters.

In addition, it is great to attend in-person or online events focusing on food justice! If you prefer attending online events, Community Alliance with Family Farmers, among other organizations, hosts informative meetings such as a free local food marketing webinar. Moreover, Santa Clara University has a running website of upcoming/past food justice events!

Consider a map of the Bay Area. Whether it be pollution exposure, percentage experiencing poverty, or rates of food insecurity, the same hotspots appear. This “map” is foundational to tackling hunger. Working towards food security is not just about feeding those in need, but also, about examining deep root causes of food system failures. Elected officials, citizens, and more can each play a part in ensuring access to healthy, affordable food for people across lines of race, class, and more.