The CEO of the Davis Street Community Center, Rose Padilla Johnson has been a highly visible presence in the San Leandro community for many years. Under the direction of Rose Padilla Johnson, Davis Street tackles the issue of food insecurity by providing food and nutritional assistance to more than 6,000 San Leandro and Alameda County residents every year.
In Alameda County, about 13 percent of residents were food insecure in 2016. The Alameda County food bank estimates that one-fifth of the county’s population has accessed food assistance services.
Poverty and food insecurity are interrelated. In Alameda County, households must earn more than $92,000 dollars a year to afford housing, food, medical care, and other basic necessities.
However, thousands of local families make less than half of this amount. Families facing financial issues may have difficulty purchasing enough food for their household and must turn to food pantries and other community services.
