Community

Healthy Children Pantries Help Parents Make Ends Meet

Published

11 years ago

January 1, 2014

It’s 8 a.m., and children romp on the playground outside of Starr King Elementary, a public school nestled on top of Potrero Hill in San Francisco.

The morning scene of laughter and games is typical of any schoolyard, but inside something very special is happening — their parents are choosing groceries from the school’s Healthy Children Pantry.

Michael is a single father of three girls at the school. He works in construction when jobs are available, but it can be hard to find work these days and even harder to balance work and caring for his three girls.

“This pantry is a blessing. It helps us save money for other things that we need, and allows me to feed my girls so they can be healthy and happy. I’m very thankful for that.”

The pantry, a program of the San Francisco Food Bank and Marin Food Bank, provides staples, grains and legumes, along with fresh produce for families to take home.

Thanks to the recent increased support of donors, the Food Bank has recently been able to supply Michael’s pantry with eggs twice a month.

“I’d say their favorite foods are cereal and eggs. Hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, eggs any way — they love them!” Michael explained.

Like so many children in San Francisco and Marin, Michael’s daughters get a free lunch at school.

“We get a calendar of what the lunch is going to be, so I know what they eat. It’s good that we can eat the groceries from the pantry at home and they can eat lunch at school. That certainly helps.”

Michael started volunteering at the pantry when he realized how much the groceries were helping his family. Because of our donors’ support, the Healthy Children Pantry at Starr King Elementary is able to help Michael’s family get by in tough times.

“My growing girls want to eat all day! They are the ones that encouraged me to volunteer,” Michael told us as he helped other parents select food from the bins laid out across the pantry tables. “They’re always saying ‘Daddy, when’s the pantry?’ Tuesday, I tell ‘em, every Tuesday.”

For information on the San Francisco Food Bank and Marin Food Bank, go to www.sffoodbank.org/

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LIVE! — TOWN HALL ON RACISM AND ITS IMPACT — THURS. 11.14.24 5PM PST

Join us for a LIVE Virtual Town Hall on the Impact of Racism hosted by Post News Group Journalist Carla Thomas and featuring Oakland, CA NAACP President Cynthia Adams & other Special Guests.
Thursday, November 14, 2024, 5 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. PST

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5 days ago

November 12, 2024

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Discussion Topics:
• Since the pandemic, what battles have the NAACP fought nationally, and how have they impacted us locally?
• What trends are you seeing concerning Racism? Is it more covert or overt?
• What are the top 5 issues resulting from racism in our communities?
• How do racial and other types of discrimination impact local communities?
• What are the most effective ways our community can combat racism and hate?

Your questions and comments will be shared LIVE with the moderators and viewers during the broadcast.

STREAMED LIVE!
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Oakland Post: Week of November 6 – 12, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 6 – 12, 2024

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1 week ago

November 9, 2024

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OP-ED: The Illusion of Allyship. White Women, Your Yard Signs Mean Nothing to Me

NNPA NEWSWIRE – “The blue bracelets are something White women are wearing so others can see that they didn’t vote for Trump,” says Liberal Lisa from Oklahoma on X. Chile, bye. These bracelets are hollow symbols, empty gestures that mean nothing to me. An accessory to claim distance from Trump’s legacy is superficial comfort, while the choice to not stand with us in the voting booth is far more profound.

Published

1 week ago

November 9, 2024

Oakland Post

Political yard signs can symbolize intentions and allegiance. But this year, they’ve also symbolized betrayal. During this general election, Black women were led to believe that more White women would stand with us. Exit polls, however, told a different story. Despite overwhelming displays of support, more White women still chose to vote for the convicted felon, reality TV star, and rapist. White women answered the call but left us hanging at the polls.

A Familiar Disappointment

I live in DeKalb County, Georgia, and the abundance of Harris-Walz yard signs could’ve fooled me. But I’ve seen this before, back when Stacey Abrams ran for governor. White women showed up, put up signs, attended rallies, knocked on doors, and phone-banked. Yet, when it came time to vote, they let us down—not once but twice. I’ve been here for over 15 years, and if there’s one thing I know, it’s that political signs are symbols without weight.

In every election, I’ve talked with White women. Most aren’t the primary earners in their families and vote along party lines, aligning with the preferences of their fathers and husbands. These conversations reveal a reluctance to break from tradition, even when their votes affect women and certainly when their votes impact the lives of people who look like me.

The Illusion of Solidarity—Symbols Are Not Enough

On social media, I’m seeing White women posting pictures of blue bracelets to “prove” they didn’t vote for Trump. “The blue bracelets are something White women are wearing so others can see that they didn’t vote for Trump,” says Liberal Lisa from Oklahoma on X. Chile, bye. These bracelets are hollow symbols, empty gestures that mean nothing to me. An accessory to claim distance from Trump’s legacy is superficial comfort, while the choice to not stand with us in the voting booth is far more profound.

I’ve seen Black Lives Matter signs and black squares posted on Instagram to “prove” support for Black people, but we now know that was a lie, too. Will those same people who claimed Black lives mattered now take down their Harris-Walz signs and show their true selves?

Navigating these truths is a daily struggle for me—professionally and socially. White women often misuse their privilege, supporting us only when it’s convenient. Seeing overqualified Black women sabotaged or abandoned by White women at critical moments is a constant emotional challenge. It’s exhausting to live with this reality, especially when solidarity seems like something they pick up and discard at will.

One clever campaign ad from Harris-Walz that spoke directly to White women. “Your Vote, Your Choice” emphasized that their vote was private—independent of their household situation. Another was from Olivia Howell Dreizen, the “Vote Without Fear” campaign, which empowered women to consider the greater impact of their choices. But it seems many still couldn’t choose the roadmap to freedom—even when it was handed to them.

A Call for Action Beyond Words

White women, I want to believe you care, but actions speak louder than yard signs, bracelets, or Instagram posts. Show up in our communities, advocate in your workplaces, and stand up to dismantle the structures that uphold white supremacy. Only through real action will we know where you stand.

If you choose not to act, we see you—and we know exactly where you stand. Good luck these next four years.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of BlackPressUSA.com or the National Newspaper Publishers Association.