Tri-City Food Pantry Joined Hayward City Council Candidate for World Hunger Day

Hayward City Council candidate Rodney Loche joined Tri-City Volunteers, a food pantry in Fremont, for World Hunger Day on May 28th.

Mr. Loche, who is hoping to represent Hayward constituents, spent the morning touring the food pantry and learning about how the organization has handled increased demand, including 1,000 individuals from the City of Hayward, with a shrinking budget.

He and Tri-City Volunteers set up the event to draw attention to the plight of families facing food insecurity in the community, and to highlight the hardworking volunteers that allow the food pantry to meet demand.  

World Hunger Day focuses on creating sustainable solutions to ending world hunger, with a special focus on community partnerships. Most of the world’s hunger problems exist in developed areas where natural disasters and other environmental concerns are not the root cause. 

People are unable to afford fresh, healthy foods because they lack opportunity to gain employable skills, achieve higher education, and work in jobs that pay a livable wage.  

After his experience at the food pantry, Mr. Loche said: “The number of people your agency [Tri City Volunteers] serves and the job training you provide shows how truly valuable your agency is, not just to Fremont, but to the entire East Bay.”  Rodney Loche and Tri City Volunteers hope to expand their efforts in Alameda County to provide sustainable solutions to those living below the poverty line. In particular, they are promoting stronger volunteerism as a method to upskill and train jobseekers.

Hayward has a poverty rate of 12.7%, which translates to around 18,000 individuals living below the line. For a family of four, that means Mom and Dad are earning less than $23,850 a year.  To view photos from the event, and to learn more about Tri-City Volunteers, visit them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TriCityVolunteers. 

—Information submitted by Tri-City Volunteers