By Clyde Noel
Town Crier Correspondent
Laid-off corporate workers going to CSA for food, rent money
The line isn’t long at the Food and Nutritional Center because the doors won’t open for another hour -but Mr. H. wants to make sure he can get enough food for his family.
Because of dot-com closings and corporate layoffs, the Community Services Agency (CSA) is experiencing increased needs.
“Our clientele is changing,” said Tom Myers, the agency’s executive director. “We are seeing a more complicated picture of the people we serve. It is not the cut-and-dried poor and homeless. We are seeing stories of people who were working but were displaced from the work force.”
Silicon Valley, a microcosm of the high-tech boom and bust, whipsawed the entire national economy. Tens of thousands of well-paying jobs have been lost in the industry, and quarterly earnings reports indicate more jobs are likely to disappear before the year is through.
“A lot of the recently laid-off come here for the basics like food and rent assistance,” said Maureen Wadiak, the agency’s program management director. “Many of the workers who have been displaced are not able to continue living here because the cost of living is so high.”
Those remaining are finding themselves in financial straits. Wadiak said unemployed clients come from the entire service area of Los Altos, Mountain View and Los Altos Hills.
If the line in front of the Food and Nutritional Center doors is representative, it indicates a clientele very different from the past. The people are well dressed, the men standing in line are holding babies and they have their own shopping baskets. They usually leave with a bag of food. A cross section indicates the majority in line are Caucasians now out of a job.
“We had to increase the amount of time the food center is open and the amount of food distributed,” Myers said. “In an average week we distribute five to seven tons of food. During the holiday season that increases to 12 to 15 tons of food.”
The expanded needs of current clients indicate requests for food are close to holiday requirements. The fact that more people are losing their jobs has intensified the demand for CSA services to help with monthly expenses.
Board members are concerned with the continuing demise of dot-coms and corporate layoffs. They are preparing for this problem by raising awareness to seek community support and prepare additional programs in case the economic downturn continues.
“The Food and Nutritional program is fast becoming our most popular service among low-income people,” Myers said. “Providing clients food can mean the difference between paying the rent or eating.”
Myers said at times the Food and Nutritional Center runs out of food. Clients are aware of this and they arrive early to be sure they receive some.
“Because we run out of food at times, we make sure there is appropriate food for the people who need it,” Myers said. “We save the milk for the kids and seniors.”
Most food is donated through school and church drives. The agency has a co-op arrangement with Second Harvest and local grocery stores. Donations come in during the holidays, but there are times during the year when the food bank is extremely low.
Myers said the organization has always enjoyed the support of the community, and it is grateful for that. But it is important for the community to understand that with the economy deflating CSA may need even more help.
The agency is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization that has been doing business in the community for 44 years, and all donations are tax deductible.
For more information about volunteering and donations, call 964-4630.
