A local group hopes to address some of Modesto’s most pressing systemic issues – like poverty and food insecurity – by hosting pop-up events to distribute resources to some of the community’s most vulnerable members.
The Central Valley BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Coalition, hosted its first “Food Not Fascism” event in west Modesto last Saturday. Over 250 people stopped by the event before noon to get free food and other necessities, organizers said.
“We still had some funds that were generously donated by community members that we had to spend,” said Learkana Chong, a member of CVBIPOCC. “So I ended up going to the grocery store a couple more times just to try and replenish what we had brought in the morning. People want food. It’s a need.”
The event was held in direct response to the recent federal shutdown that put SNAP benefits in jeopardy for some of the area’s most vulnerable families.
CVBIPOCC reached out to different food banks seeking donations for their event, without luck, Chong said. This didn’t bother her however, she believes that the community can use the organization’s platform to gather resources to donate to food banks, “not having them outsource to us.”
The organization, along with the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stanislaus County’s social justice group, Modesto’s local chapter of the 50501 Movement and about a dozen volunteers, gathered on the corner of Paradise Road and Tuolumne Boulevard for the event.
Michael Nicholson, a 36-year-old man living on the streets of Modesto, took a bag one of the volunteers offered and filled it with necessities like face masks, hand warmers, narcan, food and extra clothing.
“I was just walking around. I was actually panhandling and then trying to make a little money just to feed myself and a few other things,” he said. “It’s actually really cool. I just wish there was an easier way for people to find out about it.”
Instead of calling attention to specific policies or politicians, the group hopes events like these will call attention to systemic issues across the nation, while offering tangible solutions on the street.
“We do want to call attention to the fact that there is so often money for war and for genocide and for the police, and there doesn’t seem to be enough to see hungry people in our community. So, we definitely want to call attention to that, like the arbitrary resourcing of certain things by the state,” Chong said.
Moses Abeyta, a 17-year-old high school senior in Modesto said he found out about the event from social media and group chats dedicated to local politics.
“As of right now, I’m transitioning schools, which means that next week, I have a whole month off of school,” he said. “I need to be doing something with it, instead of just sitting at home messing around with my friends. You know, I should be doing some good with it, and that’s why I’m here.”
Abeyta and other volunteers said they also gather and share resources to discuss next year’s election for the region’s congressional seat. Many expressed they would like to see a change in leadership at the national level.
Mary Rodgers with the Unitarian Universalists said her group meets on the third Sunday of every month after service at 2172 Kiernan Avenue in Modesto.
You can learn more about the Central Valley BIPOC Coalition’s work through their Instagram page @CVBIPOCC.
Vivienne Aguilar is a reporter for The Modesto Focus, a project of the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative. Contact her at vivienne@cvlocaljournalism.org.