“Stealth” food banks serve the undocumented

It all adds up to a limited ability to access resources among a population that needs them the most. “I was surprised at how many more families were in need,” said Rosario Valerio, Senior Manager of Nutrition Programs at Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County. “I was not aware of how scared they were. That was a shock for me.”

Valerio helps oversee the food bank’s underground food distribution program, run in conjunction with the Center for Farmworker Families, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating for and supporting farmworkers and their families, mostly from Mexico. 

The secret food distribution program, which started two years ago and now serves about 160 families, came about when Dr. Ann Lopez, Executive Director of the Center for Farmworker Families, approached the food bank about the migrant farm workers who harvested food for a living, but were not being paid enough to support their families. The workers also felt they could not safely access food assistance. 

To remedy this, the two organizations created a clandestine food bank, which meets in less public locations such as alleys and backyards. These locations are rotated to further ensure client safety. Rather than advertise the sites, Lopez makes phone calls directly to families about where they need to go. 

“All these people are here getting food because they trust Dr. Lopez,” Valerio said. “They feel comfortable to come and get the food that they need to be able to provide for their families.”

Partnering with organizations that are already established in supporting migrant people has proven to be one of the most effective ways for food banks to serve this sometimes hard to reach demographic. 

“Some of these grassroots organizations are doing the work that we can’t do as a nonprofit,” Rodriguez said. “We need to support that and help them grow.”

The food bank is also seeking to be sensitive to the viewpoints and life experiences of its undocumented clientele. For example, it decided that clients would be better served if volunteers from the National Guard did not dress in uniform. 

“We know the population that we serve. We know the community that we’re in, and this is going to have people not show up and get what they need,” Rodriguez said of the decision to require civilian clothing.

Client feedback is also directing food-bank decisions about how to serve undocumented clients. In its most recent strategy planning session, the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona paid clients to offer their thoughts on areas of improvement. Many migrant clients expressed the need for more support in securing sustainable work and greater advocacy in speaking out against the detainment of people.

Manna added WhatsApp to its outreach efforts in May through a partnership with Montgomery County’s Latino Liaison. The liaison, Jessy Meija Terry, receives meal program schedules from Manna and communicates the information via the messaging app.

Since March, Manna Food Center has gone from packing around 3,000 bags a week to 7,000 bags a week, in response to the demands of the pandemic. 

Manna Food Center, like Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County, doesn’t require clients to claim their migration status during food distributions, providing additional safety assurances. 

“Our main priority is the people who live in Montgomery County; their legal status has nothing to do with it,” said Yelba Mojica, Manna Food Center’s Referral Services Manager. “We want to make them feel and know that they have nothing to worry about.”