S.F. food pantry helps out in hard times

By Jen Chien, Crosscurrents From KALW News

The state of California produces more than half of the nation’s fruits, vegetables and nuts. Still, U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics from the last few years show that more than 14 percent of Californians are food insecure. Food security is a term that describes a person or family’s access to adequate and nutritious food.

In the Bay Area, food assistance programs have seen record numbers of applicants, while their budgets and donations have steadily decreased. Despite these challenges, Bay Area food banks continue to feed people through a network of more than 1,500 food pantries, children's programs, shelters, soup kitchens, residential programs, and other emergency food providers.

Together, these programs serve over 600,000 people a month. Many of them would not exist without the help of thousands of volunteers. The Food Pantry at Saint Gregory's of Nyssa church in San Francisco's Potrero Hill neighborhood is one of these programs that's completely run by volunteers. It's also an example of a program bringing people together by sharing food.

Read the complete story at Crosscurrents From KALW News.