When I began volunteering for the East Santa Cruz County Community Food Bank (ESCCC) more than ten years ago, I was surprised at the amount of food insecurity in what I viewed as a fairly affluent area. It seemed that—on closer look—there was hidden need nearly everywhere. It made me wonder why in such beautiful communities did this dynamic exist?
In the ensuing years I have come to know that food insecurity exists here largely because of demographics and poverty.
Limited availability of food due to people living in remote rural areas, a long way from grocery stores and other food sources, as well as a lack of resources to obtain food, combine to leave the elderly, single parents and low-income families relying on government assistance such as food banks and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), often scrambling to feed themselves and their families.
Eastern Santa Cruz County fits this dynamic nearly perfectly. It is an area of great natural beauty, but until recently, a dearth of family-supporting jobs. With a poverty level of more than 20%, those experiencing food insecurity here in our community often are forced to make hard choices, sacrificing nutritious food for other basic needs, consuming lower quality but inexpensive processed foods.
Fast forward to the fall of 2025. Suddenly the federal supplemental nutrition benefits relied upon by thousands of people in Santa Cruz County, and across the country, were cut off. Confusion, uncertainty and misinformation enveloped the country and our community. Perhaps the most severe and long-lasting effect of this government shutdown and suspension of benefits was the ongoing ambiguity about the future.
Here at the food bank, we decided to dive deep into research and observation of the ongoing political process in an attempt to determine what might happen and how we should respond. At the same time, we were scrambling, ordering and picking up food and preparing for the worst-case scenario.
As the initial disbelief and uncertainty faded, it became apparent that federal food benefits would not arrive on time in November. Given this new reality, we observed a wondrous thing begin to happen. Community organizations, churches, businesses and individuals came out of the woodwork to make donations, donate food and volunteer at food banks to do their part in feeding the people whose benefits were cut.
People took it upon themselves to place food donation bins throughout our communities, directing nonperishable items to food pantries, church groups and the food bank. Flyers went up all around, soliciting donations and directing people to food resources they may not have been familiar with. Fundraisers were scheduled to bolster organizations that prepared food and served it to the public.
At the ESCCC food bank we analyzed our continuing response day by day, week by week, after demand for our food quickly rose by 20%. We instituted additional food distributions, especially for people who lost their November food benefits, and saw a number of people seeking assistance who we had never seen before. We invited them to become regular recipients of our monthly food distribution, hoping to help them mitigate future food shortages.
All around Eastern Santa Cruz County and beyond, people came together to help their neighbors get through this crisis. There were some donations made by those who could least afford to donate. This expression of support is clearly indicative of the high-quality community we enjoy here, where we take pride in taking care of each other.
As the government reopened and federal food benefits were slowly restored, we at the food bank turned to analyzing our response to this crisis, with the goal of serving clients and the community better in the future. We focused on areas such as coordination, publicity and information.
We want to communicate information about our assistance programs to the public clearly in a timely manner. We want to support and coordinate with other agencies, groups and individuals who share our mission of feeding people. We want to urge our clients to plan ahead, stockpile non-perishable food when possible, and budget their hard-earned dollars carefully in case of another calamity.
One thing this crisis has shown us is that as a community, we are not only caring and generous, but we are resilient. We can be assured that when times are tough, we can rely on each other for backing and support.
On behalf of the Santa Cruz County Community Food Bank, I am eternally grateful to you, and am blessed to be living in such an amazing community.