San Bernardino area charities plate up ideas to feed the hungry

By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO -- Representatives from local charities, churches and government agencies gathered here Wednesday to share ideas on to better provide food to the needy.

The meeting, which was chaired by San Bernardino mayoral aide Kent Paxton, could be the first of regular series of gatherings on the subject.

Those who sat at the table Tuesday said two of the challenges their organizations currently face are not having sufficient transportation capabilities to haul donated food to distribution points and reaching out to those who have become newly poor during the recession.

"There are a lot of folks who find themselves for the first time needing to ask for help and that's not an easy thing to do," Paxton said.

One of those who spoke at the meeting said he represented Highland Avenue Lutheran Church and has observed that it's easy for him to identify who is having to rely on donated food for the first time.

"I can tell before they get to the intake table because they're mad. They're frustrated," he said. "Our needs test is pretty simple. If you need to stand in line to get food, you need food."

The meeting also touched on the possibility that people who are facing major financial problems for the first time are likely to be less aware of places to obtain emergency food than those who are already homeless or impoverished.

San Bernardino County 211, a phone service that refers callers to health and social service providers, received nearly 1,100 calls from San Bernardino residents in July.

San Bernardino had more of its residents call 211 than any other city in the county. Of those contacts, 159 -- 14 percent -- were from people in need of food.

Meals were the top need among San Bernardino callers, followed by those having difficulty making utilities payments, people needing information services and those needing help to make rent.

Other communities where food ranked as 211 callers' top need in July were Bloomington, Fontana, Rialto and Yucaipa. Among all San Bernardino County callers, meal assistance was the second-most common need, followed by utility bill assistance.

Traceylyn Sharrit, director of development and marketing for Riverside and San Bernardino Second Harvest Food Bank, said food providers could possibly solve their distribution problems by purchasing a truck or two that could be shared by multiple nonprofits.