Amidst plenty, many are still struggling to make ends meet.

A local charity providing free food to those in need is seeing a significant increase in the percentage of children it serves, as county food banks see a spike in pleas for help.

According to Paul Russell, executive director of the Alameda Food Bank, “51 percent of individuals served … are infants, children and teenagers. In the past, the percentage of people under 18 was 40 percent.”

Russell attributed the change both to more comprehensive record keeping and to an increase in the number of families seeking emergency food aid.

The agency distributes food from a location near the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Constitution Way from 1 to 4 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

“Traditionally we’ve seen more demand for services from the western end of the city, but we are seeing an increase in need in the central part, between Webster and Park streets, and we even have people from the Bay Farm side,” Russell said.

Those seeking aid must prove that they live within Alameda. The average food bank client earns about $750 per month.

There are still many misconceptions about food giveaways. These aren’t the soup lines of the past. “The government cheese doesn’t exist anymore,” Russell said. The group now relies on retailers like Trader Joes and various farmers’ markets for fresh produce and even frozen meat and fish. Russell said the system works out for retailers. “Rather than marking it down, they get to right off the whole amount.”

While Good Samaritans like the Boy Scouts of America and U.S. Postal Service employees still collect canned goods for the food bank, Russell said the amount of canned goods donated by manufacturers and stores is dwindling. This is partly due to better quality control and fewer labeling errors in canneries, and also because of the growth of discount retailers like Berkeley-based Grocery Outlet that offer products like dented or scratched cans that used to go to food pantries, Russell said.

In Alameda County as a whole, participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Stamp program is up 19.2 percent over a year ago. Officials attribute the rise to better outreach, along with increased need. “We’re definitely seeing more people, a lot of working people,” said Liz Gomez, outreach coordinator for the Alameda County Community Food Bank. “Our clients are having a harder time making their rents. We’re seeing a lot of younger people in their mid 20s; people starting families.” Gomez said. Last year 83,645 people were receiving monthly food stamps, about 60 percent of those eligible. The county set up a hotline for food assistance at (800) 870-3663, which will refer callers to food pantries and help people apply for food stamps. Gomez said that a family of four could have a monthly gross income of up to $2,167 and still be eligible. The figure will rise to $2,238 in October.

The Alameda Food Bank will temporarily relocate to Alameda Point on Sept. 18 as a new facility is constructed. The new digs should open in November, Russell said. “A lot of folks use it not only to prevent themselves from going hungry, but also as a way to manage their limited income so there is money left for shoes, dentists or utility bills,” Russell said.

Contact Marc Albert at