Abound Food Care leaders are rolling out a new nationwide program they say will help nonprofits buy nutritious and culturally sensitive foods for the lowest price possible amid a sharp and quiet increase in hunger in OC.
Earlier this month, the nonprofit launched the Enhanced Procurement Program which allows local nonprofits and food pantries to combine their food purchasing power with tens of thousands of groups across the country so they can buy quality food for the lowest price.
Mike Learakos, CEO of Abound Food Care and a hunger alliance leader, said in a phone interview that reducing the cost of food nonprofits have to buy expands their effectiveness and their reach.
“If a nonprofit organization can save money, not just on buying food, but on supplies, equipment, services, admin, programs, technology, etc, all the way across the board,” he said.
“Then they have more money to either buy more nutritious food, to buy culturally acceptable food, or to secure services like potentially mobile medical clinics who can address other root causes.”
The program is a partnership with Foodbuy, a food purchasing group, and Sysco, a wholesale restaurant distributor.
For nonprofits looking to join the Enhanced Procurement Program, click here.
It comes after leaders with the Hunger Alliance late last month warned of a silent rise in hunger across OC at a level they haven’t seen since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
[Read: Hunger is on a Sharp and Silent Rise in Orange County This Thanksgiving]
Second Harvest Food Bank of OC CEO Claudia Bonilla Keller said the new program will help food pantries fill in the gaps when it comes to addressing hunger but a big part of addressing the need is bringing down the high cost of food.
“Food inflation is the big one that’s really affecting consumers at all economic levels,” Keller said in a phone interview.
She also said bolstering and protecting food assistance benefits will help.
“We have to continue to address the adequacy of the federal nutrition programs. We have to protect the progress that has been made with the Federally reimbursed school meal programs. We can’t go backwards there, because that will only make the situation worse,” Keller said.
“Those are things that will at least keep the need level.”
People looking to donate to or volunteer with local organizations like Second Harvest Food Bank or the OC Food Bank can do so at the links provided here.
The new purchase program comes after a recent county report found the percentage of kids eligible for free school lunches has gone up this year from about 53% to 54% – a hallmark indicator of poverty.
[Read: Thousands of OC Kids Struggle With Homelessness, Hunger and Mental Health Issues]
With the rollout of the procurement program, some elected officials are also stepping in to help in other ways.
Amid the elevated need, Westminster officials are moving forward with a grocery assistance program for senior citizens and veterans in the city.
And Orange County Board of Supervisors are helping fund a local nonprofit’s efforts to refurbish their food pantry.
[Read: OC Supervisors Help Fund Food Pantry Renovation Amid Hunger Spike]
Hunger in Orange County
Keller said the need for food in Orange County in October was the highest since the pandemic and data will likely show it will be just as high or higher this month and November.
“I’ve been to a couple of distributions in Yorba Linda and distributions in Irvine, and all of those operators have told me that these are the highest need months that they have seen since the pandemic,” she said.
Keller adds the food bank’s initial plan was to put out 39 million pounds of food a year, but are now stretching to get more food out in December and January.
“We are changing our plan to put more food out in the community because our pantries are calling us and telling us they need more food. So we’re doing everything we can to put more food out into our pantry system,” she said.
In order to do so, the food bank is looking at hiring temporary drivers, bringing some food purchases in earlier and opening up more volunteer opportunities for people to help out.
OC Food Bank Director Mark Lowry said while parts of Orange County are wealthy, there’s a large population of service industry employees who grapple with the rising costs of living.
“This perception means that we do not attract the same level of public funds and charitable contributions as other communities, where there is broader recognition of unmet basic needs,” he said in an email.
Lowry said government support has dried up and private donations are significantly down since the pandemic.
“We have fewer tools and resources today, to combat hunger, than we have had the past 4 years,” he said.
Lowry also said the lack of support may impact the work of local pantries.
“When less is available in the emergency food system, vulnerable families receive less. We met with an Irvine-based non-profit organization yesterday who was complaining about near-empty shelves,” he said.
“That organization is also contemplating restricting access to food assistance from once each week, to one-time per month.”
At the same time, Keller says food bank leaders are waiting to see what a change in administration at the federal government level will mean for federal nutrition food programs that help OC families put food on the table.
She is also calling on people – who are able – to volunteer or donate money or food to local food banks.
Westminster to Give Out Grocery Gift Cards to Seniors & Veterans
Earlier this month, Westminster City Council members voted 3-0 to allocate $200,000 in federal COVID bailout dollars towards a program that will distribute $150 gift cards to residents who are 65 and older, along with veterans.
Councilmembers Amy Phan West and NamQuan Nguyen were not present for the vote.
“We want to make sure that for the people who are 65 in order, and also the veterans they get enough,” said Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen said at the Dec. 7 meeting.
Outgoing Councilwoman Kimberly Ho said at the meeting that the gift cards will make a difference for seniors and veterans on a fixed income.
“If anything, I think it gives the seniors and veterans a feeling that we care for them,” she said.
According to the Census, about 17% of the city’s population are 65 years or older.
The assistance program comes after former OC Supervisor Andrew Do, who represented a district that encompasses Westminster, resigned and pleaded guilty to bribery charges stemming from a $10 million contract – in federal bailout dollars – that was supposed to feed the elderly.
[Read: Former OC Supervisor Andrew Do Pleads Guilty to Bribery Scheme]
The program is a newer version of a senior food assistance program the city launched during the pandemic that reimbursed seniors for the groceries they bought, which City Manager Christine Cordon said was a timely process.
Councilman Carlos Manzo, who was reelected in November, supported the program but said it should be easier and more effective than the previous version.
“We cannot have 80-year-olds waiting in line for four hours like we did last time.”
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC reporter and corps member with Report for America, a GroundTruth initiative. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.