Community Members Turn to Local Food Banks in Between Jobs

Job hunting and preparing for interviews can be nerve-wracking. Being offered the position should be a celebratory experience. However, Christopher Diaz’s background check at his new place of employment took about three to four weeks longer than expected, leaving him without income. While waiting for his background check to clear, he’d been allocating his budget for bill payments he’s trying to sustain during this transition, leaving him with less of a budget for other essentials, including sustenance. Thankfully, he can attend food distributions at Servant Arms at St. Stephen Baptist Church in La Puente.

Diaz says the food and nutrition assistance benefits him and others in his position. When he is making money and can contribute to events like the food distributions that he attends, he does so to help pay it forward.

“I know what it’s like – I’ve been there, I’ve struggled to the point before where I can’t eat tomorrow,” Diaz shares. “A lot of people don’t want to admit that they’re so poor, I can’t buy my own food, and that’s how I felt at first.”

The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and its partner agencies across LA County, including Servant Arms, are committed to providing food and essential resources to our neighbors throughout transitional phases of employment, emergencies, pandemics and more. The Food Bank and its partners work together to break down the stigma of asking for food and nutrition insecurity, as hunger is indiscriminate and can impact anyone regardless of their background, socioeconomic status or education level. It is estimated that 1 in 4 of our neighbors in LA County faces food and nutrition insecurity.

“I didn’t want to admit or feel defeated to the point where I’m so poor I have to go somewhere else for somebody to give me food, and that makes you feel low. Once I get hired, I can start buying my own food, and when you get to that high point where you get that job, and you start working and buy food for yourself, you can tell yourself you made it and that you used something like a food pantry to get by. Anything helps at this point, and now I can eat tomorrow, and when that day comes, and I can get that job, I can say: because these people helped me out, I’m surviving again.”

Fighting hunger requires all of us. If you can give, please consider donating to the Food Bank.