BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 A worrying new normal is unfolding in Kern County: swelling lines at food distributions as more families scramble for basic meals. <\/p>\n
Food banks across the region are straining under record demand and behind the numbers are young people like 15-year-old Xavier Chocoteco, who has become the primary provider for his family.<\/p>\n
Xavier, a Highland High School student, says hunger was a daily reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt made me feel tired,\u201d\u00a0he said.\u00a0\u201cWhen I was tired, I would find a way to get my energy through school-provided food.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those experiences place him among the 22.8% of Kern County children who faced food insecurity in 2022, according to recent data. <\/p>\n
For Xavier, the statistic represents more than a number it\u2019s the reason he wakes up before sunrise each morning to secure food for his family.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, that means walking miles.<\/p>\n
\u201cA seven-mile walk that I took to get here on time and help out others and my family,\u201d\u00a0he said.<\/p>\n
Food Banks Overwhelmed by Demand<\/p>\n
Local food banks are feeling the strain. Manuel Carrizalez, director of Stay Focused Ministries an organization that provides food distribution to Kern County families says the calls for help are escalating rapidly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore numbers this year. The phone calls are more in demand, and a lot of people are just hurting right now,\u201d\u00a0Carrizalez said.<\/p>\n
He added that one of the most heartbreaking trends is the age of those seeking help.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see a lot more in need \u2014 a lot younger kids, I\u2019ll say teenagers\u2026 and it\u2019s like wow, we\u2019re seeing everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
CAPK: Demand Growing Leading Into the Holidays<\/p>\n
Many local pantries rely on the Community Action Partnership of Kern (CAPK), which operates 150 distribution sites throughout the county. <\/p>\n
In a statement, CAPK acknowledged the increasing strain on local families, especially ahead of the holiday season:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year, we\u2019ve seen an increase in demand leading up to Thanksgiving, as families face higher grocery costs.<\/p>\n
In response, CAPK and our agency partners have expanded food distributions, increased outreach in high-need neighborhoods, and worked to ensure emergency food resources are available to anyone who needs support.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Teen Helping Others, Even When He\u2019s Hungry<\/p>\n
Despite grappling with hunger himself, Xavier continues to volunteer at food banks so others won\u2019t endure what his family does.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t like seeing people struggle,\u201d\u00a0he said.\u00a0\u201cSeeing them go to school hungry puts a little sadness into my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
How You Can Help<\/p>\n
As food banks across Kern County face rising demand, residents can support their community this giving season by donating money, non-perishable food, or volunteering their time at a nearby food distribution center.<\/p>\n
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 A worrying new normal is unfolding in Kern County: swelling lines at food distributions…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":70089,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,155,153,152,162],"class_list":["post-70088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-downtown","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news","tag-kern-county-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}