Bay Area food bank makes a plea for financial donations

A Bay Area food bank that helps hundreds of thousands of people each month is in need of help.

Monetary donations to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley are down considerably, according to its CEO Leslie Bacho. And if they don’t pick up soon, it could threaten the amount of service it’s able to provide.

Inflation is getting part of the blame.

Second Harvest says it’s now helping about 460,000 people each month, an 80% increase over pre-pandemic levels.

The number of people who need help had been declining since the peak of the pandemic, but it has started to rise again alongside high inflation.

And while the need is increasing, financial donations are going in the opposite direction – down 37% compared to two years ago, according to Bacho.

"The situation is very dire. This holiday season, I've been with Second Harvest for five years now and this is our most nerve-wracking holiday season yet."

Bacho says a number of factors are at play.

"I think that it’s inflation…not being aware of the level of need in the community right now…I think it’s also the stock market and people just feeling like the economy, people being pinched by the economy," said Bacho.

SEE ALSO: Wall Street may get much worse in 2023 before it gets better

And that pinch is squeezing the food bank when it comes to putting the money it has to work.

For example, a picture provided by Second Harvest shows approximately what it could buy with a $25 dollar donation in 2021 compared to 2022; roughly half.

The majority of the food Second Harvest gets is donated, but it still pays for handling fees and transportation. It also purchases staple items.  All those costs have gone up.

"Eggs, for example…every household we provide with a dozen eggs and that has gone up 250% versus last year…we are definitely having to stretch our budget a lot farther," said Bacho.

Second Harvest says it’s still shy of $25 million dollars, the amount it needs to raise by year's end to fully fund upcoming operations.

READ MORE: Clover Sonoma, a familiar brand, giving up on ice cream

Bacho dislikes talking about the possibility of not hitting that goal for fear of frightening the thousands of people who rely on the food bank.

She hopes the Bay Area comes through because she says they’ve already made cuts, and she wants to avoid that cut getting deeper.

"We’ve had to make some tough decisions just about the amount of food we’re distributing…every household used to get a gallon of milk. Now every household gets a half gallon…unfortunately, not raising the money does have a direct impact on what our neighbors receive."

If you want to give, volunteer, or are in need of help, you can get information at the Second Harvest website at www.shfb.org.