Interview with CEO Teale Harden
On Monday November 3, funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) was expected to be withheld due to the federal government shutdown. More than 41 million Americans (12% of U.S. residents) receive SNAP benefits and without them, would have to rely on food banks.
Two federal judges ordered the Trump administration to use emergency funding for SNAP, but as of yesterday, recipients are expected to receive only partial benefits and those benefits could be delayed by weeks or months.
In an interview with Teale Harden, CEO of the Alameda Food Bank (AFB), the Alameda Post asked how AFB is stepping up and helping the thousands of people in Alameda County who will be losing SNAP benefits.
How is AFB preparing for the SNAP cuts, both service-wise and financially?
It has been surreal. We just moved into a building on October 20 designed specifically to help us respond to an emergency, and in the first two weeks of operating in that space we have entered that emergency. We were already seeing an increase in need. We were already serving more people than we did during COVID-19, and now this entirely unnecessary and avoidable disruption to SNAP has put thousands of families across our city, county, and country in a terrible position of having to decide how they are going to keep themselves and their families fed.
We have been in constant conversation internally and with partners across the East Bay, including Oakland, Berkeley, and Hayward, to prepare for the uptick in need that we are seeing. We are working together to make sure we are utilizing every resource possible and thinking as a regional community. Our operations team is increasing fresh produce purchasing, coordinating bulk dry good orders with peers to secure the best pricing, and making efficiency changes to check-in and registration. We have suspended recertification for shoppers and are issuing temporary cards so we can move people through the process as quickly as possible and with dignity.
Financially, we know this is a moment when the community steps in to fill a gap where the federal safety net has faltered. We need every single community member on the food bank’s team, because when everyone cares about food security, and when everyone cares about their neighbors being fed, everybody wins.
You currently serve over 500 families a day, sometimes up to 700. How high will that number go? What is the maximum AFB can serve?
We expect those numbers to rise significantly. Right now there are roughly 166,000 CalFresh recipients in Alameda County, including over 77,000 in Oakland alone. The county is still breaking down numbers city-by-city, and we already know this situation will send more households to food banks across the region.
We are in a precarious position. We were already serving record numbers due to cost-of-living pressures and the ongoing fallout from the pandemic, and now this federal disruption has created an emergency on top of an already urgent situation. Our new facility was designed to handle emergency-level scale, and we built it for moments like this.
We are confident in our capacity to meet this need. Our team has already been strategizing internally about how to maintain the dignity and choice that define our shopping model while scaling for increased demand. We have significant room to continue operating our current distribution approach, and we have efficiency strategies ready to deploy if conditions change, though we do not see the need for major operational shifts at this time. The goal is to ensure every household who walks through our doors continues to feel welcomed, respected, and able to choose the foods that best serve their family.
How can people access services and what should new visitors know?
In response to this crisis, we have temporarily suspended our Alameda residency requirement, and we are welcoming anyone who needs food, as we did during the COVID-19 emergency. Qualification guidelines are currently paused, and we will re-evaluate as the situation evolves.
To help keep lines manageable, we strongly encourage appointments, which can be booked through our website. We have simplified check-in because our priority right now is getting food into the hands of people who need it quickly and with respect.
Appointment scheduling and details are at alamedafoodbank.org/get-food. For additional food support outside of AFB, households can contact the Alameda County food helpline at 510-635-3663.
How can Alameda community members support AFB and people losing SNAP benefits?
We have seen an incredible outpouring of calls and emails from neighbors asking how to help, and it has been truly moving. At the same time, the volume has been very difficult for our limited staff to keep up with. The most helpful way to support right now is to use the systems we already have in place by visiting our website to sign up to volunteer or make a financial donation. That allows our team to stay focused on serving families coming through our doors.
Financial support gives us the flexibility to purchase the right food, at scale, when we need it. Volunteer support helps us keep operations smooth as more neighbors turn to us. This is a moment when Alameda shows who we are as a community. We rise for one another. We take care of each other so nobody goes hungry.
Is AFB coordinating with Alameda Unified School District on how to serve students?
Yes, we have been in communication with numerous community groups, including schools. Right now, due to how fast this situation is changing, the most effective way to serve families is to have them come directly to our Island Community Market rather than setting up off-site distributions. Centralizing service allows us to respond with scale and speed, and to make sure every family has access to the maximum amount of food and choice.
If conditions shift, we will adapt. Our commitment is the same: Students and families in Alameda will have access to the food they need.
Alameda Food Bank is located at 677 West Ranger Avenue (Alameda Point). Enter via West Midway Avenue. CEO Teale Harden previously contributed a guest editorial to the Alameda Post about the Power of Community-Based Food Assistance.
Jean Chen is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jean-Chen.
