Column: Hunger is No Stranger in Albany

It was the Thursday before Thanksgiving and the of the City of Albany met to hear a compelling presentation from Alameda County Community Food Bank Director Justine Kaplan.

The Commission has been discussing hunger and food program availability within Albany for the past year, beginning in February with a meeting with staff to learn about Meals on Wheels and Brown Bag programs.

Kaplan reported to the Commission that one measure of hunger is eligibility for free lunch programming. Each year the federal government sets income guidelines for school districts to review student eligibility for free lunches. District officials across the country say that numbers may under represent actual need because of stigma associated with free lunch programming.

Despite this, reports a stunning one in five students qualify for free lunch. In one elementary school in the district, the number of eligible students is up to one in three students who qualify. These numbers have risen in the past few years.

According to the Alameda County Food Bank there are no food pantries or food programs in Albany beyond the Senior Center program. The location of the nearest food pantry for Albany residents is the near the corner of Sacramento and Rose in Berkeley.

Free meals, which are typically most helpful to homeless people without access to cooking facilities, were discussed only briefly during the Thursday night presentation.

Anyone in Albany who wants to donate food, time or money to food programming is welcome to contact the Alameda County Food Bank. Anyone who is interested in becoming more involved in the issue of hunger within Albany can contact Social & Economic Justice chair Judy Kerr or co-chair Ruth Cashmere through the city website.

The Social & Economic Justice Commission will meet every two months in 2012. Please check the City Website for dates and agendas if you want to be more involved.

--Commissioners Judy Kerr and Ruth Cashmere
  Social & Economic Justice Commission
  Albany, CA

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