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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-11-12; Food Assistance Assessment; Gallucci, NeilTb the members of the: s 11; COUNCIL · Date ~,CA \Jr cc V CM V ACM J DCM (3) ✓ Council Memorandum Nov. 12, 2020 To: From: Via: Re: Honorable Mayo Neil Gallucci, Chie o Scott Chadwick, C y nd Members of the City Council I e '"-'..-- {cityof Carlsbad Memo ID #2020249 Staff are researching the issue of food insecurity and assistance in response to the City Council's Aug. 18, 2020, minute motion (Exhibit 1). While the assessment is not yet complete, staff wanted to give City Council an update on the current progress. This memorandum will provide a brief overview of the need, outline what steps have been completed and a preliminary assessment of the regional needs. Feeding America, which describes itself as America's largest domestic hunger-relief organization, projects that 17 million people are food insecure in America in 2020 and, because of the pandemic, that that need is projected to increase to 54 million. Each year, Feeding America publishes an annual report on food insecurity and food prices across the country. The results from this study have been published in an online interactive map called "Map the Meal Gap 1" that evaluates local data on food shortage, how many people qualify for assistance programs, the cost of food and the shortfall of resources. According to the report:, the 49th Congressional District (district), which covers the City of Carlsbad, has an estimated 63,620 people, or 8. 7% of the total population, who are food insecure. The report also said that 60% of the people in the district are eligible for Cal Fresh or other federally qualified nutrition programs. It's important to note that food-insecure households are not necessarily food insecure all the time. Food insecurity may reflect a household's need to make trade-offs between important basic needs, such as housing or medical bills or purchasing nutritionally adequate foods. The pandemic appears to have had a significant impact on local food distribution programs in San Diego County. Before COVID-19, the San Diego Food Bank, one of the county's largest distributors of food resources, served an average of 350,000 people per month. Since mid- March, when San Diego County declared a State of Emergency, the San Diego Food Bank has been feeding an estimated 600,000 people per month. The San Diego Food Bank's staff attribute this increase to the rise in unemployment and the financial hardships many families are facing throughout the region. Staff are continuing to assess the local impacts on the City of Carlsbad, and are conducting a regional needs assessment with local service providers and faith organizations that provide food resources throughout North San Diego County. Staff have reached out to a variety of 1 See: https ://map. feedi nga merica .org/ county /2018/ overal I/ cal iforn ia/ county /san-diego Police Department 2560 Orion Way I Carlsbad, CA 92010 I 760-931-2170 t Food Assistance Assessment Nov. 12, 2020 Page 2 organizations such as the Senior Center, schools, faith centers and nonprofits that have served the community during the pandemic, observing their process and learning about the impact COVID-19 has had on their service delivery. Staff also began participating in the North County Food Policy Council. This organization tries to find solutions to address the unmet food security needs of residents of North San Diego County and to increase access to a secure and nutritionally high-quality food supply. Through these meetings, staff was able to connect with other critical food service providers, leaders, and advocates in the community and learn of other systems in place. Staff worked with the North County Food Policy Council and Palomar .College to review their GIS mapping systems to identify food distribution resources throughout the region. These maps allowed staff to track and identify key stakeholders such as nonprofits, faith centers, low-income apartment complexes and businesses that distribute food resources to the community. Having this information allowed staff to identify other unlikely stakeholders and partners. Additional groups were identified through informal grassroots networks known to serve underserved populations such as the homeless community, seniors or low-income residents. Staff invited all relevant stakeholders to participate in a virtual community meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020, to explore local trends, gaps in services and underserved populations from frontline staff. The meeting included representatives from 28 service providers, 20 organizations and various local nonprofits, faith centers, city staff, school districts, affordable housing complexes, grassroot homeless organizations, businesses, county programs, policy advocates and food banks (Exhibit 3). Qualitative data will be captured and feedback from their discussion will be included in a future Staff Report. Additional data will also be collected from local public agencies. This data will include the number of calls for service made to 211, the free 24/7 confidential phone and on line database for emergency food referrals, Cal Fresh enrollments pre-and post-pandemic, local unemployment rates, census data of local poverty rates, minority rates, Senior Center meal services and students eligible for free or reduced fare school-based meal programs. Staff will also work with other North San Diego County cities to see how they have addressed food security needs during the pandemic. Timeline of staff's stakeholder engagement and data collection efforts: • Sept. 16, 2020 • Sept. 21, 2020 Participated in the North County Food Policy Council Meeting Met with the North County Food Leaders to review their GIS tracking system on food needs and resources • Week of Sept. 21-25, 2020 Identified key stakeholders in the Carlsbad and neighboring jurisdictions who are distributing food resources Food Assistance Assessment Nov. 12, 2020 Page 3 • Week of Sept. 21-28, 2020 Created a comprehensive list of key stakeholders providing food resources from nonprofits, faith centers, affordable housing complexes, schools, businesses, and individua.ls in North San Diego County • Oct. 21, 2020 Participated in the North County Food Policy Council Meeting • Oct. 23, 2020 • Oct. 23, 2020 • Oct. 28, 2020 • Oct. 28, 2020 • Nov. 4, 2020 • Nov. 2020 • Nov. 2020 Sent out an email inviting key stakeholders to participate in a community conversation on food insecurity in Carlsbad on Nov. 4, 2020 Released a notice of funding availability for CARES Act Funds for COVID-19 Relief (Exhibit 2). The city conducted a needs assessment in May 2020 that identified increasing food security through meal delivery services and pantries as one of the community's highest priorities. Met with 211 staff on Carlsbad-specific data trends CARES Act Funds for COVID-19 Relief NOFA sent out to all stakeholders invited to attend the Nov. 4, 2020, Service Provider Meeting Facilitated key stakeholder meeting with service providers Contact other North San Diego County cities to see how they have responded to food-related needs of their community Conduct additional research and data collection as needed Staff will evaluate the information collected and expect to present an informational Staff Report on this item to the City Council. Attachments: A. Council Memo dated Aug. 18, 2020, on Food Assistance for Carlsbad Residents B. Notice of Funding Availability CARES Act Funds for COVID-19 Relief C. Key Stakeholder Food Insecurity Meeting Agenda and Summary cc: Geoff Patnoe, Assistant City Manager Celia Brewer, City Attorney Holly Nelson, Senior Homeless Program Manager David Graham, Chief Innovation Officer To the members of the: CITY COUNCIL Date~ CA ✓ CC ,/ CM ✓ ACM / DCM{3) ✓ Aug. 18,2020 Council Memorandum To: Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council From: Laura Rocha, Deputy City Manager, Administrative Services David Graham, Chief Innovation Officer Via: Geoff Patnoe, ·Assistant City Manager {if,,; Re: F,ood Assistance for Carlsbad Residents Attachment A {city of Carlsbad Memo ID# 2020170 During the COVID-19 pandemic the City of Carlsbad has provided emergency food assistance to those in need and has participated with the County of San Diego to provide meals to qualifying individuals. The city has also received unsolicited offers to provide food assistance. This memorandum provides information regarding the existing programs providing food assistance in Carlsbad and evaluation of a proposal by the Oceanside Kitchen Collaborative (OKC) to provide food assistance in the city. Background Providing food assistance to Carlsbad residents in need is provided by the federal government, state government, County of San Diego, philanthropic organizations, and the city. A list of some local food resources can be found at www.211sandiego.org. Senior Center Nutrition Program Prior to COVID-19 the'main food assistance program the city provided was a lunch program at the Senior Center forCarlsbad residents 60 years of age and older. The lunch program provided nutritious meals Monday through Friday at the Senior Center, and was funded through a combination of reimbursement by the County of San Diego using federal funds, grants, donations, and the city's General Fund. When the San Diego County Public Health Order required the closure of the Senior Center, city staff quickly shifted to a pickup and delivery program which has now served over 21,000 meals. The city spends approximately $275,000 annually on this program. The program costs are generally covered by grants, donations, and reimbursements by the county using federal funds. Administrative Services Branch Office of Innovation & Economic Development 1635 Faraday Avenue I Carlsbad, CA 92008 I 760-434-5992 '· Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council Aug. 18,2020 Page 2 Community Development Block Grant Food Assistance The city has funded food assistance organizations using the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Additional CDBG resources were made available through the CARES Act which were used to fund various COVID-19 related activities, including additional food assistance. On June 16, 2020, the City Council approved $315,666 in CDBG funding authorized through the CARES Act to support various COVID-19 related response and recovery activities. In fiscal year 2020-2021 Brother Benno received a CDBG grant for $15,000 to serve an estimated 200 to 300 meals per month through June 30, 2021. An additional $15,000 was granted in CARES Act CDBG funding. Meals on Wheels has also served Carlsbad seniors. In fiscal year 2019-2020 the organization received $10,000 in CDBG -funding and served a total of 6,756 meals. Their contract has been extended through June 30, 2021, with an additional $5,000 to continue serving meals to their Carlsbad clients . . In addition, some CDBG subrecipients, such as the Women's Resource Center and the Community Resource Center, who provide shelter and rental assistance also offer emergency food or other basic needs as a supplementary service. Non-profit organizations that provide food assistance will have the opportunity to apply for any future COVID-19 related CDBG funds if legislation in response to COVID-19 is approved. If there are no additional special COVID-19 related CDBG funding opportunities, the city will release a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for CDBG funds in the spring of 2021. Food assistance programs operated by non-profit organizations will have an opportunity to apply for funding at that time. Great Plates Delivered The city also participates in the Great Plates Delivered: Home Meals for Seniors federal program, administered by the county. This temporary program to provide food assistance during the health emergency pays for the delivery of three daily meals from a participating restaurant. To qualify for the program applicants must be: • Individuals who are 65 or older • Individuals 60-64 and at high-risk as defined by the CDC, including one of the following: o Individuals who are COVID-19 positive o Individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19 o Individuals with an underlying condition • Individuals must live alone or with one other program-eligible adult • Participants must not be currently receiving assistance from other state or federal nutrition assistance programs • Participants must have an annual income that is within the qualifying range Honoral>le Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council Aug.18,2020 Page 3 • Individuals must affirm an inability to prepare or obtain meals Prior to its launch, the city conducted an information campaign to encourage restaurants to participate in the program. The city also conducted outreach to seniors to encourage qualified individuals to apply. According to the most recent information from the county there are approximately 2,100 people who have qualified for the program and it has served over 350,000 meals. There are 53 Carlsbad residents currently participating in the program, and 16 who were participating but have since disenrolled. Charitable Organization Food Assistance There are also various other organizations providing food assistance to people in Carlsbad. The Church of the Advent launched a program due to the pandemic which serves 100 to 160 nieals per day to unsheltered homeless in Carlsbad. Interfaith Community Services and Feeding San Diego provide food boxes. The North County Food Bank is operating contactless drive-thru and walk up food distribution services at their Super Pantry sites. Coastline Church provides a drive- thru food bag service every Saturday. The city's homeless program manager maintains a list of programs to assist the food insecure in the city. In April, the city launched an interactive COVID-19 local food assistance resources map to connect seniors, families and the food insecure with vital food support information. Oceanside Kitchen Collaborative Oceanside Kitchen Collaborative (OKC} is an initiative of the Feeding the Soul Foundation and 501(c)3 non-profit organization that operates a state-of-the-art food preservation kitchen and meal packing space. OKC can prepare and package 10,000 meals per day based upon demand and available funding. In the spring of 2020 the city became aware that OKC was providing meals to one or more groups providing food assistance in Carlsbad. At that time, city staff believed OKC was working directly with locations like Tyler Court and the Church of the Advent to provide meals through various delivery methods. City staff engaged with OKCto gather additional information about their operations in Carlsbad and the capability of OKC to supplement city food assistance if the need were to arise. At that time the Assistant Director of Emergency Services assessed food assistance needs in Carlsbad and determined that they were being met through the county-funded Senior Center meal program. On July 2, 2020, the city received a general letter to North County Cities regarding OKC program priorities and outcomes (Attachment A). On July 7, 2020, city staff began engaging with OKC to evaluate the food assistance that they were providing in Carlsbad. Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council Aug.18,2020 Page 4 OKC is feeding at-risk community members by preparing packaged ready-to-eat and frozen meals to support local seniors, immunocompromised, and otherwise food insecure individuals. They work with a network of pre-existing non-profit organizations that provide food support. On July 15, 2020, OKC provided information regarding meals that had been delivered. According to OKC's director of operations a total of 17,393 meals were served in Carlsbad. 2,504 were provided to seniors, 2,925 were provided to sheltered homeless, 5,884 were provided to unsheltered homeless, and 6,240 were provided to food insecure families. According to a discussion with OKC's director of operations, the meals are made and packed at the Oceanside facility and then various organizations pick them up for delivery. On Aug.7, 2020, city staff requested more information regarding the names of the organizations that delivered the meals, but we have yet to receive a response. It is our understanding that the meals being provided iti Carlsbad are funded by donations, grants, and purchased by charitable organizations that then deliver the meals. The price of each meal is approximately $10. OKC states that they have also hired displaced workers affected by COVID-19 layoffs. OKC believe they have the capacity to provide 10,000 meals per day from their facility but lack funding to do so. They have reached out to all the North County cities to request support. Based on our evaluation OKC is providing a valuable service in North County by producing meals for purchase and distribution by non-profit organizations that provide food assistance. The organization also takes a sustainable approach to food waste which is commendable. The mission of OKC and the service it provides is an asset to North County. Discussion Based upon a cross-departmental review of existing food assistance and emergency food assistance programs operating in Carlsbad, a specific or significant need for additional food assistance has not been identified: Existing food assistance for seniors during COVID-19 was able to s.cale up a:S demand increased and has tapered off as the pandemic has extended. With the city run senior meal program, county programs, and programs provided by non-profit organizations a demonstrable need for additional food assistance to seniors during COVID-19 has not been identified. CDBG funded programs are also providing food assistance to those in need. Organizations that are seeking funding to provide food assistance in Carlsbad will be encouraged to participate in the NOFA in the Spring of 2021. If additional COVID-19 related federal funding becomes available through CDBG, organizations will have an opportunity to apply. · Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council Aug.18,2020 Page 5 Food assistance provided by non-profit organizations continue to support the food insecure. Coordination with these organizations should continue to understand the needs of the food insecure and how those needs are being addressed through public and non-profit programs. Other opportunities to expand the city's financial support for food assistance programs exist through the annual budget process or as directed by the City Council. Next Steps City staff will continue to monitor the emergency food assistance needs of Carlsbad residents during COVID-19. Staff will coordinate with public and non-profit organizations to continue to monitor the food assistance needs of seniors, unsheltered homeless, sheltered homeless, food insecure families, and others affected by food insecurity. Ongoing engagement with the community, non-profit organizations that provide food assistance, and the county will continue to inform the dty's approa~h to providing food assistance. If the City C~uncil would like to pursue the expansion of food assistance by contracting with a non-profit organization the necessary funding would need to be allocated and any relevant city procurement rules would need to be followed. Attachment: A. Oceanside Kitchen Collaborative Letter cc: Scott Chadwick, City Mariager Celia Brewer, City Attorney Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council Aug. 18,2020 Attachment A Page 6 To whom it may concern, O'side Kitchen Collaborative (OKC) has identified the following need for North county cities. With respect to emergency food services. We have been able to meet this need partially through the financial participation of the City of Oceanside as well as by self-supporting through donations, fundraising, and volunteer enrollment activities. You wiil find there remains an unmet need in San Diego county. We are requesting that the. Cities of Carlsbad, Encinitas, Vista, San Marcos, and Escondido participate in meeting this urgent ahd critical need to feed its residents by closing funding g·aps for this emergency response program. O'side Kitchen Collaborative operates a 1,700 sq. ft. state-of-the-art food preservation kitchen. In light of this current situation, the City of Oceanside has granted OKC the.sole use of the building our kitchen resides in as well. This includes an additional 2,300 sq. ft. of meal packaging space. OKC is able to prepare and package 10,000 meals per day with proper funding. We continue to collect donated equipment from area casinos, resorts, and business.es with large catering operations that are currently experiencing closures as well as accepting donations of ingredients and supplies from large businesses. Our list of partners for this_community response effort includes over 50 local businesses. Program Priorities/Outcomes: 1. OKC is feeding our at-risk community members by preparing packaged ready-to-eat and . frozen meals to support local seniors, immunocompromised, and othel'V\/ise food insecure individuals including children currently enrolled in free lunch program with K-12 schools. Meals are provided free of charge to individuals in need. 2. OKC is mobilizing a network of pre-existing non-profit organizations who are working directly with fe~ding organizations versus individuals. organizations with an unmet need coordinate pick up of multiple meals from our facility on a daily basis and coordinate distribution amongst their own recipients. All receiving organizations are encouraged to provide funding or in kind donations. 3. OKC is injecting cash into the local restaurant industry by purchasing local restaurants' at-risk food inventory as funding is available. 4. OKC is implementing creative partnerships with the local restaurant industry to include local restaurants in our meal output, thereby increasing our per day capacity above 10,000 meals. 5. OKC is supporting displaced workers by hiring employees affected by temporary restaurant/ foodservlce closures. Since the shelter-in-place mandate:. O'side Kitchen collaborative has served over 17Q,000 meals to at-risk San Diego County residents. unmet Need: 721 prepared meals, 450 grocery packs per week (7 meals each) Honorable Mayor Hall and Members of the City Council Aug. 18,2020 Page 7 • Cantebria Senior Homes (Oceanside)-46 meals to be provided daily · • Station Church (Vista) -75 meals to be provided daily • North County sober Living (Vista/Oceanside) -450 meals to be provided daily • San Luis Rey Mobile Home Park (Oceanside)-150 meals to be provided daily ~ **North County Health Services (Oceanside/CarlsbadMsta/san Marcos/Escondido) -450 grocery packs to be provided weekly **NCHS grocery packs: North county Health Services is requesting grocery packs of . non-perishables to aid their health care workers. The workers at their clinics work hours that make it difficult to get to the grocery store and are requesting the help of O'side Kitchen Collaborative to feed themselves and their families. Packs may contain, but are not limited to, a mix of the following: cereal, fresh fruit, juice, canned soup/legumes/fruit/vegetables, nut butters, jellies or jams, pasta, rice, sauce, granola or snack bars, root vegetables, and other food to be determined. We should be doing everything we can in this time to maintain the mental and physical health of those on the front lines of this crisis, and food security will go a long Way toward achieving thOse goals. Without outreach activities, these numbers reflect organizations which have reached out to O'side Kitchen Collaborative directly or through oceanside Homeless Resource, our largest community O'side Kitchen Collaborative is an initiative of Feeding the Soul Foundation, a 501(c)3 charity partner during the COVIDsl9 emergency response. We feel that with a minimal amount of prompting, these numbers could easily be doubled or tripled based on what we have observed in oceanside. The City of Oceanside has responded to this need by providing for 500 meals to support OKC meeting this need. The price per meal, $10.77, includes funds for out-of-work oceanside food service workers and provides funds for the purchase of food inventories that would have gone to waste from restaurants experiencing temp:orary closures. These measures are critical to supporting the local restaurant industry. our contract with the City of oceanside has been extended on a declining scale over the next 4 weeks 'f'/e would love to be able to extend assistance to Carlsbad as soon as possible and are looking for funding to do so. The largest roadblock we are enco.untering is funding. There has been a significant outpouring of gerterosity from the community, but many of the individuals and businesses who have donated are also being impacted by COVID-19. We were being funded for 500 meals per day by the City of Oceanside. This is a fraction of our 10,000 meal per day capacity, given proper funding. We look forward to working with Carlsbad and other cities of North county to provide for the critical needs of our most at-risk citizens. warm Regards, Mike Perez O'side Kitchen Collaborative October 23, 2020 NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY Attachment B {'cicyof Carlsbad Department of Housing and Urban Development, CARES Act Funds for COVID-19 Relief The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed by the President on March 27, 2020, appropriated funding to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to assist communities in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. This appropriation included supplemental funding for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program designed to help communities and homeless assistance programs to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the current crisis. The City of Carlsbad was recently awarded $909,924 in supplemental CDBG funds (hereinafter "CDBG-CV") as an entitlement community. The City of Carlsbad is seeking grant proposals for the following program: •Community Development Block Grant -Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds Interested applicants may find the application for this grant by visiting the City of Carlsbad website at https://www.carlsbadca.gov/services/depts/ns/grants/cdbg.asp. The completed application package, including appropriate attachments, must be submitted prior to 5 P.M. on Monday, November 9, 2020. Applications may be submitted electronically to Nancy.Melander@calsbadca.gov Paper copies may be mailed or delivered to the City of Carlsbad, Housing Services, Attn: Nancy Melander, at 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive, Carlsbad 92008. Please note that due to the current COVID-19 emergency, the Housing Services building is closed to the public and paper copies must be delivered by appointment. In May 2020, the city conducted a Needs Assessment of the community's highest priorities for addressing the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. The priorities identified include: 1) making short-term income payments, 2) increasing food security (meal delivering services and food pantries) and 3) providing basic needs. The city encourages applications that address a Needs Assessment priority, but will give preference to applications that provide short term income payments, in alignment with HUD's stated objective. To view the Needs Assessment please visit the city's website at https://www.carlsbadca.gov/services/depts/ns/grants/cdbg.asp. Potential applicants who have questions about the CDBG-CV funding should contact Nancy Melander by email at nancy.melander@carlsbadca.gov before 5 p.m., Monday, November 2, 2020. Responses to questions will be posted on the city's CDBG webpage by Wednesday, November 4, 2020 at https://www.carlsbadca.gov/services/depts/ns/grants/cdbg.asp. 1 Ccicyof Carlsbad The proposed time line for the grant review process is as follows: Process and Timeline for Allocation of Funding October 23, 2020 Issue NOFA November 2, 2020 Deadline to submit questions November 4, 2020 Responses to questions posted on city's website November 9, 2020 Applications Due Week of Nov. 23 Application review and recommendation by the CDBG Advisory Committee 5-day public review/comment City Council approval of allocations and substantial mid-January 2021 amendment to the FY 2020 Annual Action Plan . 2 Food Insecurity in Carlsbad: Identifying Potential Needs and Opportunities Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020 from 10:30am to 12:00pm Zoom Meeting Attachment C {city of Carlsbad MEETING AGENDA Meeting Goal: Discussion with service providers about potential food insecurity in Carlsbad. 1. City welcome and introductions • Holly Nelson, Senior Homeless Program Manager • David Graham, Chief Innovation Officer 2. Organization introductions • Introduce organization and attendees • Organization mission, services, service territory and population served • Please keep your presentation to 3 minutes or less 3. Roundtable • Prior to the pandemic, was an unmet food assistance need identified in Carlsbad? • Have you seen an increase in demand for service during COVID-19? • If so, have you been able to meet the demand? • Are the resources you are using to meet increased demand sustainable? • If you are unable to meet increased demand, what resources do you need? • Is there one concrete recommendation you would make to address food insecurity in Carlsbad? 4. Roundtable takeaways • Participant reflections on the discussion • Summary and next steps 5. CARES Act Notice of Funding Availability {NOFA) • Nancy Melander, CDBG Program Manager • NOFA Application · https://www.carlsbadca.gov/services/depts/ns/grants/cdbg.asp 6. Close 5 min 40 min 25 min 10 min l0min Meeting summary {city of Carlsbad Key stakeholders from Carlsbad and other neighboring jurisdictions that provide food assistance to residents met virtually on Nov. 4. The meeting included 30 service providers, 18 organizations and representatives from various local nonprofits, faith centers, city governments, school districts, affordable housing complexes, grassroot homeless organizations, businesses, county programs, policy advocates and food banks. The two-hour meeting provided insights on existing food assistance services and potential food assistance needs in the City of Carlsbad. The meeting began with information regarding potential food insecurity in the city and the participants shared information about existing food assistance services, potential gaps in service and COVID-19- related food assistance issues and opportunities. This information will be valuable in providing a thorough report to the City Council to fulfill the minute motion approved Aug. 18, 2020. Staff referenced two assessments of food insecurity that were conducted in April 2020 by LeSar Development Consultants and research on existing food assistance from the City Council memorandum on Food Assistance for Carlsbad Residents issued Aug. 8, 2020. The participants then provided an introduction of their organizations or associations, services that they provide and population they serve. Staff proceeded to have a discussion around six prompting questions: • Prior to the pandemic, was an unmet food assistance need identified in Carlsbad? • Have you seen an increase in demand for food services during COVID-19? • If so, have you been able to meet the demand? • Are the resources you are using to meet increased demand sustainable? • If you are unable to meet the increased demand, what resources do you need? • Is there one concrete recommendation you would make to address food insecurity in Carlsbad? All the participants reported they had seen an increase in food assistance needs since the beginning of the local public health emergency due to the coronavirus. They also reported that there had been an increase in resources to meet those needs and an increase in food-related services since COVID-19. The San Diego Hunger Coalition representatives reported they've created a model that uses census data to project the number of people in a given location who based, on various factors, were at risk of being food insecure. They said the model showed that the number of people at risk of being food insecure had grown in Carlsbad as it has in the region during the pandemic. Staff will follow up with the organization to get more information about the model and its projections. , Considering various barriers to people receiving food assistance, several service providers discussed providing unrestricted food assistance to the community with no questions asked about the need. The funding available to provide food assistance without qualifying criteria varied by organization. A few service providers reported they had sustainable funding streams through charitable donations, federal funds or CARES ACT funds, but many organizations said they have limited funding or resources, and that it would end in upcoming months. Carlsbad Unified School District representatives reported they have a robust meal program onsite and had funding for the program until June 30, 2021, but because many of their students are attending classes remotely, there has been an overall decrease in food distributed onsite. They believe the need is still there but discussed the barriers of trying to distribute to students and their families in the {cityof Carlsbad community. In this case there are food resources available, but the distribution of the resources is a challenge. Other agencies echoed similar concerns around food distribution and problems getting the resources to those in need. One Oceanside Kitchen Collaborative staff member said, "The resources are there; the trouble is connecting the dots and getting people connected to the needs. As a nonprofit it is hard for us to do that and provide community outreach." Participants from many other organizations noted the difficulty of doing outreach, targeting the right population and educating the community on what resources are available. There was general consensus that food resources exist but identifying those in need and distributing food resources to them was a challenge. Staff with San Diego Food Hunger and the North County Food Policy Council both reported that Cal Fresh, a federal food assistance program, is a historically underutilized resource that may offer relief to families facing food insecurity. Service providers asked the city for help in educating community members on what resources are available to residents. While discussing pop·ulations in need, participants identified the Latino community as vulnerable and underserved. This included school-aged children and their families, seniors, those concerned with the stigma of needing assistance, those who haven't traditionally accessed resources, the homeless population and those who are not eligible for federally funded programs. One takeaway from the roundtable discussion was that having such group conversations were valuable in connecting the service providers and sharing information on what resources were available. Some service providers got connected with resources that they did not know were available through the meeting. There was general agreement that the city could provide a valuable service in convening such gatherings. Another takeaway was that resources likely existed to meet the needs of vulnerable populations but identifying those in need and distributing resources to them remained a challenge. Connecting vulnerable populations with existing government programs was identified as an opportunity. The food assistance portion of the meeting concluded with a summary and subsequent actions that include providing information at an upcoming City Council meeting about potential food assistance. In addition to gathering information, the city used the meeting to connect the service providers with resources, including funding through the Community Development Block Grant Program. Staff providing an overview of the Community Development Block Grant CARES ACT Funds for COVID-19 relief notice of funding availability, which was released on Oct. 23, 2020. There were so many questions that' the meeting extended an additional 30 minutes to provide answers and information about this funding opportunity. All of the service providers expressed gratitude to the city for hosting the meeting and said they would like to continue to meet on a regular basis. Staff will continue to evaluate the information collected and expect to present an informational report on this item at a future City Council meeting.