As the cost of living continues to increase, residents on the Central Coast are in need of food assistance now more than ever.
“Over the past year, food insecurity has been increasing across San Luis Obispo County," said Molly Kern, SLO Food Bank CEO. "Here at the SLO Food Bank, we've seen a 16% increase in the number of people that we're serving.”
In the Five Cities area, demand has also increased dramatically this past year.
"At distributions in Nipomo and Oceano, we're seeing more and more people," Kern said. "This increase is not unique to SLO County. We're seeing it across California and really across the entire nation.”
Kern says her organization now serves 39,000 people each month and a new matching gift campaign during Hunger Action Month in September aims to help them continue to serve the thousands in need.
"For every dollar that's donated and a one-time donation, that will be doubled up to $40,000," Kern said.
New recurring donations will see a full year's worth of their contributions quadrupled, thanks to a generous matching commitment of up to $500,000.
In addition to the extra demand for food assistance, there is also a bigger demand for volunteers.
“It's a great workout, you get to connect with other people who share your values and want to help support their community, and [you] get to spend a couple of hours making such a tremendous difference," Kern said.
To sign up, you can visit their website at slofoodbank.org.
