As the cost of living rises in Santa Cruz County, the population ages and agricultural workers see an uncertain future, food insecurity is increasing.

And though we live in a wealthy county compared to much of the rest of the state, nearly a third of Santa Cruz County residents, about 75,000 people, fall into that category, according to the Second Harvest Food Bank.

The Watsonville-based Food Bank, which is in the midst of its annual Holiday Food and Fund Drive, has been subtly changing its methodology while maintaining its purpose — to provide healthy and nutritious food to people who need it throughout the county. Second Harvest sources 10 million pounds of food each year from local farms, grocery stores, food manufacturers, distributors and individuals, and distributes it to 150 food pantries, schools, soup kitchens, group homes, youth centers and Second Harvest sites.

Second Harvest CEO Erica Padilla-Chavez told the Sentinel Editorial Board last week about one innovative change: the Food Bank is forming partnerships with local fisherpeople and working with the Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust to distribute locally caught fish. The fish is flash frozen and then distributed.

Padilla-Chavez said it’s just another example of how the Food Bank is using local sources and supporting local employment for the food it gives out.

The Holiday Drive in past years was highly visible for the blue barrels around the county where people could drop off non-perishable food. But in recent years, the emphasis has been to raise funds. Second Harvest says it can provide 30 meals for every $10 donated, even as inflation raises the costs of food.

Budgets for Second Harvest, along with the other food banks in California, depend on 41% philanthropic giving and 30% on government sources, with the rest coming from individual or group donors.

Prior to the pandemic, California was providing only about $1 per food-insecure person. The state, however, sent the 41 food banks in California $60 million annually during the pandemic, up from $8 million before. Amid budget deficits, that figure likely won’t be sustained.

The Food Bank along with CalFresh (food stamps) provide most of the help for the food insecure in the county — 44% reportedly primarily depend on CalFresh (nearly 30,000 county residents are enrolled) and 34% on Second Harvest.

But this alliance faces threats, with the incoming Trump administration’s vows to cut government spending that could target the food stamp program and any federal support for food banks.

And that’s not the only future threat. The new administration has publicly said it will quickly move to begin mass deportations of people in the U.S. without legal documentation. If, or when, that happens, local farm labor will be disrupted and agricultural yield, which Second Harvest depends on, could be severely impacted.

Padilla-Chavez envisions that if deportations begin, many working in local ag production will be afraid to stand in a line in public view for food help. She said the Food Bank might then have to contract with firms such as DoorDash or Amazon to get food to needing people in the county.

The Food Bank’s goal again this year is to raise 4.5 million meals, or $1.5 million (last year’s drive met the fundraising goal of $1.25 million). The drive, which goes through Jan. 15, had raised $263,271 as of Friday.

Second Harvest this year is working to increase youth engagement, sponsoring contests at local high schools where students can submit videos on food insecurity, along with competitions among the county’s four cities for who can raise the most for this year’s drive. It’s also enlisted county schools chief Faris Sabbah and Santa Cruz Warriors President Chris Murphy as co-chairs of this year’s drive.

In addition, Second Harvest, which has 51 full-time employees on staff, continues to depend on volunteers — with up to 150 people a week (up to 3,000 annually) helping gather, sort and distribute food.

For more information or to donate to Second Harvest Food Bank’s annual Holiday Food and Fund Drive, visit thefoodbank.org.