Bay Area food banks continue to see increased demand for services
About once a week, Jason Koefter drives down a road he never thought he'd have to travel.
"It feels a little shameful," he said.
He's heading to the West Pittsburg Community Church of God in Christ, a place that's become both a lifeline and a reminder of just how much his life has changed.
"It's definitely hard. I grew up where I learned to work for everything you have," he said.
A father of four, he lost his job as a sales rep after a debilitating heart attack. Now, making ends meet is nearly impossible.
"I went to the grocery store last night and had to put half of my groceries back because I didn't have enough money," he said.
Across the country, food banks and pantries are struggling to keep up with demand as more and more people like Koefter are facing the same hard truth — It's tougher than ever to cover the basics.
Carissa Crader is the Executive Chef at Loaves & Fishes, a soup kitchen in Contra Costa, where one in four people is now food insecure. On an average day, she makes about 4,000 meals, up from about 1,200 just a few years ago.
"I've pushed more meals out of this kitchen than i ever thought I could," she said. "And it just keeps growing."
The Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano said it's now distributing 2.9 million pounds of food every month, up from 1.8 million in 2019.
And it's not just in the Bay Area. A recent survey by Credit Karma shows a stunning 27% of Americans are now skipping meals because of skyrocketing food prices.
But there is some good news, said Emily Childers, a Credit Karma consumer advocate.
"We are seeing these big picture indicators get better with inflation starting to cool, the fed bringing down rates, but that hasn't materialized for consumers in their day-to-day budgets yet. I'm optimistic, personally, that it will."
As for Koefter, he's feeling a bit more hopeful. not just about dinner but life itself.
"It lets me know there's a future tomorrow, and we're going to come out of this OK," he said.