A food pantry that has served South Hayward for more than 50 years is now closing.
First Presbyterian Church announced that food distribution at the South Hayward Parish campus, located at 27287 Patrick Ave., will end Friday. The church said it can no longer sustain both the pantry and its growing number of services for people experiencing homelessness.
The South Hayward Parish campus has provided food to community members for more than five decades. In 2019, when the property was at risk of being sold, First Presbyterian partnered with the Presbytery of San Francisco to preserve the site as a community resource, according to the church. First Presbyterian leased the property and continued operating the pantry under the South Hayward Parish name.
Over the following years, the church worked with the city of Hayward and Alameda County to establish a year-round emergency shelter for 25 people at the property. A daytime resource center also provides case management, meals, showers, laundry and connections to health care and housing resources.
The church said the growth of those services has left little room in either the property or its budget to keep the pantry running, forcing it to choose between continuing the pantry and focusing its resources on services for unhoused residents.
“The growth of our services over these past 7 years has pushed the limits of this property and our financial resources,” the church said on its website.
After the pantry closes, First Presbyterian plans to continue operating the campus as a 24-hour emergency shelter and expand the services available there. The shelter will remain limited to 25 people because of space restrictions, but the church said it plans to strengthen programs intended to connect guests with housing more quickly.
The change is also expected to reduce activity and traffic around the property and allow the facility to remain in use while plans for a long-term redevelopment are developed, according to the church.
First Presbyterian said it’s working with the Alameda County Community Food Bank to help pantry users find other sources of food assistance.
“We’ve worked with our partners at Alameda County Food Bank to provide our pantry clients a list of other available food distribution sites,” the Rev. Hallie Hottle and First Presbyterian Outreach Director Jason Shaw said in a letter announcing the closure. “We are hopeful more community organizations might step in to ensure food is available for those who need it most.”
The church identified 11 Alameda County Community Food Bank partner distribution sites within 5 miles of South Hayward Parish for residents looking for food assistance. A list with those locations can be found on the church’s website.