Six high schoolers passed out burrito bowls, snacks, and toilet paper to folks living in cars, RVs, and in tents near the Eastmont Mall. The group was led by another community partner, the non-profit organization Build On, which works with Oakland High School and other schools to get students involved in community service. Credit: Amaya EdwardsĪ caravan also set out on foot, pulling wagons full of hot meals and supplies like toilet paper, razors, soap, and feminine hygiene products. Packaged restaurant-quality food provided by Mela Bistro for Feed the Hood. The bus, called the “Mobile Oasis,” is one of six cars joining the caravan, each traveling on a set route to various encampments. “What we’re trying to do is bring people the food where they’re at so that they can spend that time that they would otherwise spend accessing food, helping to improve their lives.”Ĭommunity Kitchens uses a mini school bus, painted red, yellow, and blue, and fit with speakers on the exterior, to make deliveries in style. Vincent de Paul, is located in West Oakland. She noted that the closest soup kitchen, St. “If you’re unhoused in East Oakland, you’re going to have to walk three to five hours just to access food,” Alderete said. Alderete noted that the Eastmont neighborhood, where The East Oakland Collective is located, has twice the poverty rate as the national average and over 50% of households in the neighborhood are food insecure.Ĭommunity Kitchens and The East Oakland Collective bring food to encampments rather than asking unhoused people to travel to obtain a meal, in recognition of the difficulty unhoused individuals may face with transportation. Credit: Amaya EdwardsĬommunity Kitchens works mostly in East and West Oakland, where food insecurity rates are higher than in other parts of the city. Credit: Amaya Edwards Maria Alderete, co-founder and executive director of Community Kitchens. It’s a meal that we ourselves would eat.” Candice Elder, founder and executive director of The East Oakland Collective. “For us, it’s providing a meal with dignity. “With food justice, it’s not just about providing a meal,” said Maria Alderete, the executive director and co-founder of Community Kitchens. On the menu are items like catfish and collard greens, burritos, teriyaki chicken, homemade chocolate chip cookies, and more. Community Kitchens pays $11 for each meal. Their mission statement, “meals with dignity,” ensures that unhoused individuals are served the same food that their restaurant partners would serve customers. This year, they worked with ten local restaurants, including Ethiopian favorite Mela Bistro and East Oakland-based Lena’s Soul Food. Credit: Amaya EdwardsĬommunity Kitchens, which works with a network of BIPOC-owned restaurants to serve hot meals to food-insecure Oaklanders, has been partnering with The East Oakland Collective on Feed the Hood since 2020. Feed the Hood organizers make it a point to deliver food to people wherever they are across the city. “Doing Feed the Hood is really about honoring Shock’s legacy through service and it’s also about honoring the continuum of service that has long existed in Oakland.” Joshua Gaines, program coordinator of BuildOn, gives a burrito to a person living in an RV on Aug. “Shock would give you the coat off his back, he would take people who were part of our unhoused community, get them hotel rooms, bring them food,” Mystic said. In addition to being the lead vocalist of Digital Underground, known for hit singles like “Same Song,” and “The Humpty Dance,” Shock G is celebrated by his loved ones for his commitment to service.ĭigital Underground partnered with The Collective on Feed the Hood in 2021, and several of its members, like Oakland’s Grammy-nominated artist Mystic, showed up to pack bags and mingle. This was also the third year in which Feed the Hood has been dedicated to Shock G, the famous rapper and member of the Oakland-based group, Digital Underground, who passed away in 2021. 250 volunteers prepared snack packs and hygiene kits and distributed them to unhoused communities throughout Oakland. Volunteers pack items into bags during Feed the Hood on Aug. Folks walking by curiously trickle in, some for food, others to join in the groups of people dancing and talking. The goal of the event is lofty: to prepare and distribute 2,000 meals in a matter of hours. Volunteers prepare lunches, snack packs, and hygiene kits, and distribute them in caravans to Oakland’s unhoused populations. Last Saturday marked the 26th Feed the Hood-a quarterly event organized by the Oakland-based non-profits The East Oakland Collective and Community Kitchens.
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