10 Things Walnut Creek Food Pantries Need Before Christmas

WALNUT CREEK, CA — There is so much to love about the holidays. From decorating the tree to opening gifts to enjoying a festive meal with all the trimmings, Christmas is a time to take stock of all your blessings.

For those in Lamorinda feeling the real effects of hunger this Christmas, it may be much harder to see the joy in the season. Children will go to bed on Christmas Eve with empty bellies. Families will forgo the traditional holiday meal they can’t afford to make.

Hunger in America is closer to home than you may think. In fact, Contra Costa County is among places that have been profoundly affected by hunger in 2021.

Before the pandemic, 87,100 residents in Contra Costa County were considered food insecure, according to Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. The continuing economic fallout from the pandemic has increased by 48 percent.

Nationwide, more than 38 million Americans — including 12 million children — are considered food insecure, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Many families that experience food insecurity don’t qualify for federal nutrition or food assistance programs, so they visit their local food banks to help them through hard times.

As a result, food pantries and food banks have experienced a 55 percent spike in usage through the pandemic, according to the latest Feeding America data, erasing a decade’s worth of progress toward ending hunger in the United States.

Meanwhile, the cost of food is rising. Due to inflation, common food items distributed at food pantries have increased in price anywhere from about 3 percent to 17 percent, according to a National Public Radio report. This means food pantries are feeling a greater financial burden just as more families turn to them for help.

Luckily, the holidays are also a season of giving, which means there’s no better time to give to your local food pantry or food bank.

Wondering what to donate or where to start? Here are the 10 items most food pantries — including those in Contra Costa County — need during the holidays:

1. Peanut butter
2. Canned soup
3. Canned fruit
4. Canned vegetables
5. Canned stew
6. Canned fish
7. Canned beans
8. Whole-grain pasta
9. Brown rice
10. Kid-friendly items such as cereal bars, pudding cups or fruit snacks

It’s important to note that a food pantry’s most-needed items don’t tend to change by holiday or time of year. Most could use these donated items year-round, according to Feeding America.

Here are the nearest food pantries to Lamorinda:

Food Pantry at St. Mary’s - St. Vincent de Paul
2039 Mt. Diablo Boulevard
Walnut Creek
https://stmary-wc.org

Trinity Center
1924 Trinity Avenue
Walnut Creek
https://trinitycenterwc.org

Pleasant Hill Seventh Day Adventist Church Food Pantry
816 Grayson Road
Pleasant Hill
https://www.thehillsda.org

Here are some other resources to consider if you want to give but aren’t sure where to start:

• How To Organize A Food Drive
• Do And Don’ts Of Donating During COVID
• What To Donate And What To Avoid

Feeding America serves 200 member food banks that serve and supply 60,000 food pantries, kitchens and meal programs around the country.

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"The Impact of Coronavirus On Food Insecurity"

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