Editorial

The bigger news headlines that have defined the most personal
losses from our Great Recession have been about record-high
unemployment and a two-year flood of mortgage foreclosures. But
there is another set of news stories that has impacted even more
people than those who have lost their jobs or homes.
Today, there are 28,000 unemployed people in Sonoma County. To
date, but still counting, there have been as many as 8,000 families
who have either lost their homes or who face the threat of doing
so.
But the bigger number — and biggest news — is the number of
Sonoma County men, women and children who face daily “food
insecurity.” That number is approaching almost one-fifth of the
county’s total population.
At the Redwood Empire Food Bank alone, some 80,000 people are
handed out basic food supplements each month. On top of that are
several thousand more senior citizens and families with children on
federal food stamps and other governmental food subsidy
programs.
Losing a job is a frightening thing. Forced out of one’s home
and handed a terrible financial loss is almost too much to bear.
But, going day-to-day without knowing when your food supply may run
out is the bottom of the poverty chain. That’s the real reason we
call this the Great Recession.
This is the time of year the rest of us with extra food and
resources join the year-round efforts of the Redwood Empire Food
Bank (REFB) and our local interfaith food pantries, senior centers
and other charity and church programs.
Beginning this week, this newspaper is launching its seasonal
Food Basket series of news features and local resource lists to
encourage and support local anti-hunger efforts.
The official end to the Great Recession may have already been
declared but the line of hungry people has not gotten any shorter.
“Our food is now reaching 78,000 people every single month in
Sonoma County. That is up 8,000 over last year, or an 11.4 percent
increase,” the food bank’s David Goodman told news reporter Lynda
Hopkins in today’s newspaper.
People without jobs or homes are also struggling with a nagging
“food insecurity.” Goodman and others report that many families
must choose between buying food or medicine or risk making late
mortgage or rent payments.
“Hunger never takes a break,” said Barbara Brown, of the Windsor
Service Alliance. “We now offer six or seven different programs,
and we’ve really had an increase in the demand for assistance
programs, too.”
This increasing challenge to fight hunger continues to be met by
more and more community volunteers — of all ages — and multiple
public campaigns are now being launched to do even more.
Will it be enough? Goodman, along with many others, admit that
hunger may never be eliminated from our communities, neighborhoods
or extended families.
For many, the 2010 holiday season will be tougher — and offer
less — than last year, or the year before that. More people are
living below the federal poverty line than ever before.
Thousands of families and elderly couples are living on as
little as $930 a month. If housing rent costs $550, heat costs
$100, other utilities are $80 and medical costs and transportation
might add another $175, that only leaves $25 for food for the
month. That’s 83 cents a day.
As part of our season-long Food Basket campaign in print, we are
making our first weekly plea to our readers and everyone in the
local community to do whatever they can to fight hunger and help
our most needy neighbors.
Food donation barrels are now located at the front of most local
grocery stores. Church congregations and our interfaith food
pantries are organizing special seasonal appeals. Youth groups in
various schools are holding canned food and warm clothing
drives.
For more information on food collections and special needs,
watch for our weekly Food Basket updates in this newspaper.
Together, we will make a big difference in many lives.
— Rollie Atkinson