Redlands new food security task force holds first meeting

REDLANDS, Calif. — Redlands’ newly formed Food Security Task Force held its first meeting Jan. 8, bringing together city officials and local community partners to address a growing need for food assistance, especially among families with children, following recent cuts to nutrition benefits.

Why it matters: Community food providers told city officials they are seeing three to four times as many families and single adults seeking help. According to U.S. Census data, about 9.1% of Redlands residents live in poverty. With grocery gift card and utility assistance programs nearing their end and household costs continuing to rise, more residents are at risk of falling into food insecurity.

Details: The task force was formed in November after the Redlands City Council unanimously approved a Food Security and Child Nutrition Support Initiative, which was introduced by Council Member Denise Davis. 

The first meeting included Homeless Solutions Coordinator David Rabindranath, Redlands Recreation Supervisor Dave Jaffe, Assistant City Manager Chris Boatman and community partners such as the Church of Religious Science, Family Services Association of Redlands, the Salvation Army, Stronger Together Now, The Blessing Center, the Redlands Charitable Resource Coalition and the Riverside Ghanaian Seventh-day Adventist Church. Other organizations were invited but unable to attend.

Rabindranath said the city reached out to major food providers to understand the local impact of recent SNAP and CalFresh reductions.

The group discussed several potential strategies, including expanding public education about local food resources through social media, workshops and community groups, and creating access points at city facilities where residents can more easily find food and support services.

The task force also connected with Redlands Unified School District, who was unable to attend the meeting. RUSD provides free breakfast and lunch during the school year, however fewer resources are available in the summer. While the district holds food drives through its nutrition department, officials said there is still a gap in support for families when school is out. 

What they’re saying: “We were reaching out to some of the big food service providers in the city just to receive information from those community partners to see, when the SNAP cut happened, what the impact was to the local community,” Rabindranath said. “A lot of them did tell us that they saw triple to quadruple families in the area and single adults reaching out for food assistance.”

Boatman added that partners believe the city can play a key role as a central hub for information and coordination.

“Bringing everyone together in one spot and having us take the lead in doing so could lead to a lot of good things going forward,”  Boatman said.

Davis emphasized the need to prioritize children and families.

“I really do want us to have an emphasis on children — obviously everyone, but also those families in need,” Davis said, noting that funding for the city’s grocery gift card and utility assistance programs is coming to a close. “I think we are going to see a lot of families in our community hurting more than they have before.”

Council member Paul Barich also raised the issue of funding and suggested developing a strategy to solicit donations, potentially in partnership with the Redlands Chamber of Commerce.

“There is a lot of opportunity here if we just let the community know,” Mayor Mario Saucedo said. He also noted that the council should remain mindful of not stretching city staff too thin and focus on uplifting the resources that are currently in place.

Moving forward: The task force is expected to meet on a bi-monthly basis and will work toward creating a clearer framework for identifying who is most in need and how best to help them. City staff will report findings and recommendations back to the City Council.