Thanksgiving is in exactly two weeks, and the number of families in need continues to boom.
Despite the pouring rain, long lines of people waited at the food pantry to help feed their families in the South Bay on Thursday.
One woman seeking assistance who didn’t want to be identified said that she had no choice but to come for help. She’s out of work and struggling with high prices for everything.
That sentiment was echoed by Valentina Juarez, a San Jose resident who also drove to the pantry looking for help. She said that she’s grateful for the help she has received from the pantry.
Volunteers said they’ve never seen this much despair in the community, and if not for the rain, the line would have been even longer. The pantry said that last week, they had to turn people away.
“Very sad when they can’t get in,” Julia Wong, a volunteer at the pantry said. “The need is large now. There’s a lot more people in line.”
At San Jose City Hall, the county and city held a community resource fair, hoping to get information out and accessible to those looking for help with basic services.
Sarah Fields, the San Jose Deputy Housing Director said that the need is due to multiple factors.
“The need we know is great,” Fields said. “Unfortunately because of the dysfunction at the federal level, we’ve seen an increase in need lately.”
Looking for clothing and any other help he could find, Mike Gonzalez also braved the rain and made his way to the resource fair. Now, he worries about the holidays.
“It’s going to be interesting. A lot of food banks are giving out turkeys, so that’s good,” Gonzalez said.
Source: NBC Bay Area
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