With grocery prices up, long lines form at Richmond food bank: ‘Everything is more expensive’

It’s nearly noon, and a line of around 50 people is wrapped around the gated parking lot of the Bay Area Rescue Mission’s food pantry in Richmond’s Iron Triangle. Most people have empty bags, some have shopping carts, but all have a laminated number card in hand, denoting their place in line. 

Those at the front of the line have been waiting for five hours on this Tuesday in October, and the tables laden with food, blankets, hygiene items and other donated goods are almost ready to receive them. 

Many of the food pantry clients are unhoused, but Barbara Wallace, director of donor engagement, said there’s been an increase in those who are housed yet still need services to make ends meet. Economists caution that a recession is possible, as hiring slows and tariffs eat away at consumer spending power. Earlier this month, UCLA Anderson economists anticipated “stagflation-lite” conditions, where “inflation and unemployment remain modestly elevated.”

Added to that backdrop are two major encampment sweeps in Richmond, looming Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program reductions and significant federal housing cuts . BARM provided 1.6 million meals in 2022, 1.8 million meals in 2023 and 2.1 million in 2024. From 2022 to 2023, there was a staggering 55% increase in shelter stays at BARM.

The only resource

This year is already seeing unexpected demand. Typically, the organization sees a drop in its shelter population during summer months, but this summer experienced a surge in both shelter and rehabilitation programs, forcing the organization into high gear. 

“In the seven years I’ve been handling these stats, I’ve never seen this pattern,” Wallace said.

For many people standing in line for hours outside the food pantry, the ability to supplement groceries is essential and urgent. 

“Everything is more expensive,” said Mauricio Ozorto, a Richmond resident who uses the food pantry once a month. 

Mia Inocencio, a lifelong Richmond resident, works two jobs and relies on the pantry to feed her family.

On her mind are tariffs and rising grocery prices — approximately 29% higher than pre-pandemic levels, NPR reported last month. Her collapsible cart is brimming with greens, bread and canned goods. It feels like a fortune for a woman with $12 in her pocket and days to go before pay day. 

“Right now,” she said, “this is the only resource we have.”

(Top photo: A line forms at the Bay Area Rescue Mission’s food distribution center in Richmond, contributed by Brandon Luckey)

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