Food insecurity has been on the rise this year, especially among vulnerable families in marginalized communities, due to high inflation and gas prices which can make it difficult to afford to put food on the table," said Fran Gallati, President and CEO of the YMCA of the East Bay. “In Alameda County, the food insecurity rate is 12.2%, equivalent to 198,950 people, according to Feeding America. Having access to food is a basic need. Food insecurity can have an enormous impact on a person’s health and well-being.”
In November, the YMCA of the East Bay held two days of community volunteer events in partnership with Wells Fargo, one day of bagging/sorting food, and another day of distributing holiday meal kits. With help from Wells Fargo and our Y-Members who stepped up by donating canned food during our first Thanksgiving Meal Drive, we were able to distribute over 260 Thanksgiving meal kits, feeding more than 1,000 people impacted by food insecurities. These meal kits were distributed to families from the YMCA of the East Bay’s Expanded Learning Programs at Reach Academy and Piedmont Elementary School in Oakland.
We are so grateful to have partnered with Wells Fargo who sponsored this year’s Thanksgiving Meal Drive with a grant of $12,500, to ensure families were able to have a Thanksgiving meal at home. Thank you to the Y-Members who donated canned food and monetary contributions, volunteers at Wells Fargo, and representatives from Council Member Treva Reid’s office, both Mateo Ramirez-Mercado and Oraya Hunter, for giving back and helping our community.