Every year, millions of people across the United States rely on food banks to celebrate the holiday season with a warm meal. Many families donate gifts, food, or money in support of these efforts.
But food banks are struggling to keep up with demand. These organizations rely primarily on donations to support people, as one in six residents in Silicon Valley experiences hunger, according to Second Harvest.
“I’m running short. I’m running low on staff. I’m running low on funding,” said Deborah Orler, the founder of the homeless support center Hearts for Humanity.
Through sourcing, sorting, and distribution, Second Harvest provided approximately 120 million pounds of food in 2024. They continue to distribute food year-round by collaborating with local nonprofit food banks such as the Ecumenical Hunger Program (EHP). However, the largest quantity of food is consistently provided during the holiday season.
“Holiday drives are very important because a lot of people celebrate during the holidays. For families who are already struggling and not having enough means to get by day to day, especially for the children, it’s important to be able to provide them this opportunity to celebrate, no matter what their financial situation is,” said LaKesha Roberts, the associate director of EHP.
The past few years have been especially difficult for families. Roughly 14% of U.S. households reported facing food insecurity between January and October of 2025, significantly higher than the 12.5% recorded in 2024, according to Purdue’s Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability.
“In the 12 years that I’ve been here, the last two or three years are the first time we’ve ever had to actually purchase food outside of the holidays, largely because we rely heavily on food from food banks, and their donations have been down,” Roberts said.
According to Roberts, recent delays in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits have played a significant role in this increase. In 2024, the U.S. government spent approximately $142.2 billion on various domestic food and nutrition programs, including SNAP, a federal program that provides food assistance to low-income households.
The government shutdown, which began in October and lasted through a portion of November, delayed millions of Americans’ November SNAP benefits. Homeless support centers such as Hearts for Humanity have also noticed the impact of these delays, according to Orler, who distributes meals to the public every Sunday.
“I would say the numbers have probably doubled. When the first of November hit, the lines went from being maybe 75 people to around 200. And, of course, the food was gone instantly,” Orler said.
These places don’t just supply food. In addition to founding Hearts for Humanity, Orler runs sober living houses and has noticed a recent surge in people relying upon her services, causing these houses to approach capacity. According to Orler, as winter approaches, the onset of chilly weather will only lead to an increase in need.
“People can survive during the summer, but it gets really cold during wintertime. They want to get indoors. They want to go into the shelters. And this year is going to be horrible because it’s going to be one of our worst winters for a while,” Orler said.
Yet, donation efforts are quickly forgotten every January, when the temperature reaches its lowest average across California, and the largest number of people are desperate for a warm place to sleep. This dramatic decrease is partially due to holiday spending, which is known to deplete people’s finances and thus their ability to donate, but it is also attributed to the timing of food drives. Many food drives are single, annual events, such as the Holiday Goods Drive organized by Carlmont High School’s Associated Student Body (ASB), according to Seoha Kim, the co-facilitator for ASB’s Community Service Commission.
“Our food drive is usually during Thanksgiving or the holiday season. Everyone deserves some kind of happiness during Thanksgiving, and I think this is one of the activities that I can do to contribute to the happiness of families in need,” Kim said.
Each year, ASB reaches out to the school community with the goal of collecting enough food for Carlmont families in need. Once received, ASB sorts and stores the food, which is then distributed by Maria Ibarra, a Carlmont counselor. Traditionally, the Holiday Goods Drive had accepted canned food, but this year, ASB has decided to place a larger emphasis on nonperishables.
“Previously, we’ve gotten a lot of donations of canned food, but a lot of the people who receive the food rarely use canned items, so we thought it would be better to replace that with a gift card or hygiene products,” Kim said.
Other organizations have also begun to transition away from traditional food drives. The Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross has assisted the Family to Family program for the past 35 years. According to Anastacia Stamates, a church member who organizes their assistance with the program, Family to Family connects sponsors with families in need.
“This year, we are sponsoring 45 families, and we work through their schools, so the schools will choose the families that they feel need some help. Then we get the names of the kids and a wish list, and we provide gifts for each child in the family,” Stamates said.
The church continues to work with Family to Family beyond the holiday season through monthly collections, with the assistance of individual church members.
“I receive monetary donations and then give the families a gift card for their favorite store, so we’re not actually bringing in food. Everyone has different cultural needs, so this method seems to be preferred,” Stamates said.
Organizations such as Family to Family rely upon people such as Stamates in order to continue their work. To publicize their organization, many food drives reach out to local libraries, such as the San Carlos Library, which assists primarily by bringing in external community efforts, according to librarian Nicole Greer.
“We don’t do anything unless an organization reaches out to us,” Greer said.
As the holidays approach, organizations will rely even more on these donations to purchase the necessary food, but there are many other ways to assist those in need.
“Just offer a helping hand. Sometimes people cannot give financial assistance, but if you go to these different organizations, such as Samaritan House, and just give, then they can allocate it accordingly and help those who need it,” Orler said.
