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Long Food Lines in Richmond as Residents Endure Rising Costs

In the last eight months, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano has seen demand for its services increase by about 50,000 people, to roughly 400,000, according to Jeremy Crittenden, spokesperson for the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. The demand is only expected to increase, he said.

Published

2 years ago

October 9, 2023

Oakland Post

The line at the mobile food bank distribution at Richmond Civic Center on Thursday, Sept. 28. Photo by Mike Kinney.

By Mike Kinney

Food Bank volunteers greeted long lines of people waiting in their cars and along the sidewalk at Thursday’s bi-monthly food distribution event in the Richmond Civic Center parking lot.

Starting Oct. 12, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano’s regular distribution will no longer provide drive-thru services and will only offer walk-up due to safety reasons.

Richmond Standard spoke with a couple of recipients waiting in line on Sept. 28. They expressed gratitude that the food bank will continue to distribute here on a regular basis, particularly as the costs to live have increased.

“I am grateful that we are able to get food here today,” said Ramon Martinez, who was waiting in line. Martinez described food prices as increasingly outrageous.

Added Jessica Johnson, “The closer we get to the holidays, the prices for food will be skyrocketing again. Having the ability to come here and get food is wonderful and really helps my family get through the next couple of weeks.”

“We are aware that we are helping families that are struggling to buy groceries with our pantry distribution sites when we come to their community,” Crittenden said. “And now with a pending shutdown of the federal government, we know there will be more people in need of our food distribution for their families.”

Recipients at distributions can acquire bags of non-perishable foods, fresh produce and proteins. As an example, people received eggs, cheese, ground turkey meat, bags of onions, potatoes and apples, last week. Other items included cans of vegetables and pasta, a package of chicken breast meat and a box of macaroni and cheese.

Distributions will continue to be held in the Richmond Civic Center at 25th Street and Barrett Avenue on the second and fourth Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. Organizers say it is important to bring one or two bags with handles.

Of course, the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano also provides regular distributions at other locations in Richmond and around the County. To view a list of distributions, including times, locations and other details, go to https://www.foodbankccs.org/map-city/richmond/

The Food Bank thrives with help from the community, particularly thanks to financial donations and volunteering.

“Volunteers are the heart of how we are able help and support families and people in need,” Crittenden said. “Volunteering and making a difference in people’s lives is a beautiful feeling.”

To find out ways to donate, go to https://www.foodbankccs.org/give-help/donate/ For volunteer opportunities, go https://volunteer.foodbankccs.org/

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Oakland Post: Week of June 4 – 10, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 4-10, 2025

Published

3 days ago

June 7, 2025

Oakland Post

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

1 week ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.