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Volunteers bring thousands of hot meals to homeless encampments for holidays
Even though Christmas is over, Bay Area nonprofits are still working hard to feed families in need. The Emeryville Citizens Assistance Program has made it a tradition to make sure the unhoused get a hot meal for the holidays. a.
EMERYVILLE, Calif. - Even though Christmas is over, Bay Area nonprofits are still working hard to feed families in need. The Emeryville Citizens Assistance Program has made it a tradition to make sure the unhoused get a hot meal for the holidays.
"I think that food is a basic need and everybody should be entitled to eat," said Mary Maultsby-Jeffrey, who has been volunteering with ECAP for nearly 20 years.
She has seen the homeless encampments in the East Bay evolve into what they are today.
"We were the first people to feed at Wood Street. The first person to sleep at Wood Street lived in a dog house. The second and third person lived in dog houses. These were truly dog houses, little ones," said Maultsby-Jeffrey.
That encampment grew to be Oakland's largest, spanning several blocks with hundreds of people before it was removed in 2023.
ECAP has been helping the under-served in the East Bay for more than 30 years, serving more than 10,000 families a month. Their pantry is open six days a week.
See what Bay Area counties had an increase or decrease in homeless population
The Bay Area saw an overall increase in the unhoused population from 2023-24, according to official records.
But the holiday food distribution is one of their most important events of the year.
On Saturday, more than 100 volunteers prepared 2,500 meals with turkey, ham, mac and cheese, fresh vegetables and even dessert to distribute at homeless encampments in Oakland, Emeryville and Berkeley.
"They love to see us coming. Every year, for those have been in encampments for quite some time, they know about us and they’re anticipating it," said organizer LaTalya Parrish. "The excitement that we see on their faces, it really keeps us moving forward."
Volunteers also dropped off bags of shoes, clothes and sleeping bags. Parrish said it took months to gather, wash and organize all of these items.
For therapist Jamie Zuromski, this is her first time getting involved with this event. She has seen how homelessness has affected her clients and her loved ones.
"It’s not something you’re choosing to do. Sometimes it’s a mental health issue and I know for my sister it was something that evolved because she never thought she’d be there," said Zuromski.
She wants people living on the streets to know they're cared for.
"I think if you look into the eyes of someone that is on the street, for a minute you realize, humanity-wise, we’re all in this together," she said.