This browser does not support the Video element.
South Hayward Parish Food Pantry to close after 50 years of service
The South Hayward Parish Food Pantry will close its doors on Aug. 14, as a result of rising costs. First Presbyterian Church, which operates the pantry, said the costs of running a pantry and a 24-hour-emergency shelter got to be too much, and leadership decided to shutter the pantry in favor of running the shelter.
HAYWARD, Calif. - First Presbyterian Church announced on Monday that it will be closing the South Hayward Parish Food Pantry after 50 years of serving the community. The pantry will close its doors on Aug. 14.
"This has been a decision that all of us have made with a lot of grief. We're just competing with ourselves a bit too much to operate both a pantry and a shelter and services all on the same site," Senior Pastor Hallie Hottle said.
Hottle said her corporate partner, First Presbyterian Church of Hayward, last week penned a letter saying the situation was no longer sustainable.
Dig deeper:
"(It's) very sad, very sad. I have faith that, just like we picked up this pantry, I believe in our community, in other organizations in our community,"Jason Shaw, Outreach Director at First Presbyterian said.
The pantry serves roughly 700 people each week, every day except Wednesday. The church's sanctuary doubles as a shelter for 25 people every night, who can then have breakfast and get food at the pantry, just feet away.
"To really give our unhoused neighbors, our guests who are here, a better experience and a more in-depth experience, we've had to let something go. There's some grief in this but also some hope that we'll be able to do more and better work in the season ahead," Hottle said.
What's next:
Officials say a stopgap plan has been put in place using part of the 350 partner agencies. It will see 11 neighboring food pantries pick up the slack created by the South Hayward Pantry's closure.
"A big part of our work is making sure that food access is as convenient as possible. It's great that there's a community that is there and ready and willing to step in and make sure that our community is cared for," Michael Altfest of the Alameda County Community Food Bank said.
The church, in announcing the pantry’s closure, listed 11 Alameda County Community Food Bank Partner Agency food distribution sites in Hayward, all within five miles of the South Hayward Parish’s location at 27287 Patrick Avenue:
- Hayward Seventh Day Adventist, 26400 Gading Road. Open on Sundays.
- Hayward Promise Neighborhood, 25625 Cypress Avenue. Open the fourth Monday of every month.
- 5 Sikh Seva: Food truck at Eden Greenway Park, 52625 Cypress Avenue. Open on Mondays.
- United Smith Memorial CME Church 28105 Mission Boulevard. Open the second and fourth Saturday of the month.
- The Peace Haven Freedom Store, 1063 A Street. Open Tuesdays and Fridays.
- House of Faith International, 1265 B Street. Open Wednesdays.
- Salvation Army, 430 A Street, open Tuesdays and Thursdays
- 4C’s of Alameda County, 22352 City Center Drive. Open the first Thursday of the month.
- Hope 4 the Heart, 22035 Meekland Avenue. Open every Tuesday and the third Saturday of the month.
- Journey Church East Bay, 22175 Montgomery Street. Open on Saturdays.
- Eden United Church of Christ - Food for Cherryland, 21455 Birch Street. Open the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month.
The Source: First Presbyterian Church, South Hayward Food Pantry