By Megan Ma

joe hu/town crier Community Services Agency volunteer Virginia Ross prepares bags of food for needy residents. CSA organizers are in urgent need of drivers to deliver the food to the needy.

In an affluent community, it’s easy to overlook the fact that fresh fruits, vegetables and other nutritious foods aren’t readily available for the working poor.

Eating a fresh, nutritious meal is a problem for many low-income residents, who, through an unexpected emergency or financial predicament, must choose between paying rent or buying food for their families. Their children often go undernourished and hungry.

Through its partnership with local grocers, the Community Services Agency’s Food and Nutrition Center in Mountain View offers a bountiful array of free and nutritious donated foods. The program serves nearly 135 clients per day five days a week and is now in need of drivers to pick up food donations, said Associate Director Maureen Wadiak. Among the donors are Hidden Villa, the Los Altos Hills farm and wilderness preserve, which offers the center fresh, organic produce each week.

“This center is the cornerstone that keeps families afloat. The majority of clients are the working poor. … You really know you’re making an impact on hunger at a local level,” Wadiak said.

Morning deliveries are essential for the day’s supply of foods, which range from canned beans to fresh kale and basil, Wadiak said. Drivers hit the road at 8 a.m. in a CSA food van to visit local grocers such as Whole Foods, Safeway and Trader Joe’s. Drivers then head back to the CSA center, where volunteers and staff unload the trucks and stock the shelves like a grocery store.

Wadiak said that CSA is only able to pick up food a few days a week, but stores are willing to provide donations five days a week - which would enhance the supply and variety of foods. She said she worries that grocers will offer the much-needed food to other agencies unless there are volunteer drivers at the ready each morning.

With the holidays approaching, other volunteers and staff will be diverted to managing food and toy drives, and Wadiak said the hope is to make sure food donations remain consistent.

CSA also offers educational events and encourages healthful eating in school-age children, according to Program Director Laura Schuster. Obesity and diabetes education are emphasized.

To volunteer or for more information, call CSA at 968-0836 or visit www.csacares.org.