Anti-hunger efforts in Marin seek to offset aid uncertainties

Ginger Downing filled her grocery bag with eggs, ears of corn and frozen chopped meat.

The former beautician who lives with her daughter in Novato came to the North Marin Community Services emergency pantry on Tuesday after weeks of not knowing if she would receive monthly benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — also known as SNAP, CalFresh or food stamps.

“I was affected more mentally because I got mine the day after I was supposed to,” she said of the electronic benefits card that was replenished a few days ago. “It was just the stress of thinking about it.”

Downing was one of 280 people registered for a weekly grocery giveaway that is part of the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank. North Marin Community Services is adding a food giveaway on Fridays for several weeks, with the exception of the day after Thanksgiving.

“You don’t know for sure what’s going to happen,” Catherine Hader said as she put food in her car. “You don’t know when it’s going to get cut again, and if they’re just going to try to squeeze us all out altogether.”

Hader said she has mostly been eating from a giant pot of pasta with turkey and sausage she made several weeks ago while waiting to see if the federal government was going to continue to fund the nutrition program. The Trump Administration is still sending mixed signals.

“When I heard it was cut, I just felt pretty hopeless,” she said. “And all the feelings of shame or humiliation to even get here and ask for help.”

But Hader, who started volunteering at the food bank, was heartened to see many local people donating food and grateful for the food bank.

Her appreciation was not unique. Nor was the need, including for low-income people who did not qualify for the public assistance program.

“I don’t qualify, unfortunately, with my situation,” said Candace Sanchez, who was volunteering in the vegetable giveaway area. “I started going here to get help. And then I asked someone if I could volunteer, and I’m able to get my food that way.”

With nutrition funding in limbo, numerous local efforts to feed Marin’s hungry have emerged in the past two weeks.

The Novato Unified School District launched an emergency food and fund donation drive. The Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce enlisted a half-dozen eateries to give away food or offer steep discounts. Save Our Sausalito, a civic group, raised $10,000 from members that it sent to the Marin Community Foundation for anti-hunger efforts.

Good Earth Natural Foods is set to donate 5% of the day’s sales on Wednesday, Nov. 12 to the SF-Marin Food Bank. Mollie Stone’s Markets has donated $25,000 to the organization.

“The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank has been a lifeline for so many of our neighbors,” said Mike Stone, chief executive officer of Mollie Stone’s.

“As we go into Thanksgiving and into the Christmas season, the needs are generally high, and this year even higher because of the delay in SNAP,” said Cheryl Paddack, the chief executive officer of North Marin Community Services.

The SNAP delays prompted the nonprofit to step up its efforts to accept food donations and raise funds for emergency aid.

Paddack said the organization received a “very generous” donation that will be used to purchase $75 Grocery Outlet gift cards for each of the 280 households that pick up food on Tuesdays. The agency will add the second food pickup starting Friday that should assist 100 people on its waiting list and others.

“It’s not just the suspension of CalFresh benefits, which are beginning to trickle back,” said Paul Russell, the nonprofit’s operations director. “It’s also folks not receiving a paycheck (due to the government shutdown) at this time. So our response to make food available to anyone who’s in need.”

These organizations and others across Marin are moving ahead despite the swings in federal funding for the SNAP program.

“This is a drill, right,” said Mill Valley Vice Mayor Max Perrey, who reached out to his local chamber to provide assistance. “We know there’s going to be more uncertainty, whether it’s a man-made political disaster like this one or a natural disaster like a fire or earthquake. So how quickly can we scale up something that serves people?”

“In Marin County alone, over 15,000 people, including over 700 in Mill Valley, rely on CalFresh benefits,” said the city’s flyer describing local resources.

In addition to linking to applications for the weekly SF-Marin Food Bank giveaway at Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church, it listed a half-dozen eateries offer meals or steep discounts and how to access food deliveries “for those too sick to shop or cook.” Details are online at tinyurl.com/MillValleyStepsUp.

“Given the fact that this (SNAP funding) has changed seven times in the last week, we’re trying to provide all of the opportunities we can,” Jim Welte, Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce executive director, said late last week. “This all happened and went into action just a few days ago.”

“In Sausalito, there might be around 280 folks who are SNAP recipients,” said Sophia Collier, chair of Save Our Sausalito. “We thought, why not see if we could raise $10,000 right off the bat? … We perceived that was what was needed for the next part of the month.”

Collier urged Sausalito to match the donation at last week’s City Council meeting. By Friday, she said the group had met its target and sent the funds to the Marin Community Foundation, which was working with county officials to disburse needed funding.

“A third of SNAP recipients are children,” she said. “Whatever you think of the SNAP program, which I’m a big fan of, you wouldn’t want children to not have food.”

Back at the Novato food pantry, recipients were grateful for the food assistance but critical of uncaring political leaders.

“Life is filled with uncertain times. But this is different,” said Downing. “It’s just plain mean. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen that. It just gives me anxiety, literally, it makes my heart hurt.”

“It’s depressing,” said Hader. “If you’re a senior, if you’re low income, if you’re disabled, if you’re alone, on top of all that, there’s the feeling that your own government is abandoning you. It’s a horrible feeling.”

Registration for the North Marin Community Services food pantry on Friday is at 415-824-3663.