6,500 Bay Area residents facing increased food insecurity with closure of pop-up pantries

ByTim Johns

Saturday, June 7, 2025

6,500 Bay Area families facing food insecurity with pantry closures

With the closure of San Francisco-Marin Food Bank's pop-up pantries, thousands of Bay Area families could soon face increased food insecurity.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- For San Francisco resident Troy Brunet, food insecurity has been a long-time challenge.

"It is really hard. I mean, to the core of you, it's really hard. When you're sitting there going, okay I can't eat this because I don't have this," Brunet said.

For years, Brunet has been getting help from the pop-up pantries set up by the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank.

But the 13 pantries closed for good Friday after the money used to run them ran out.

"During the pandemic, we were receiving funding from all sorts of governments - local, state and county. But those resources have dried up," said Marchon Tatmon.

MORE: Bay Area food bank concerned about drop in donations as food insecurity grows

With the program ending Tatmon, who works for the food bank, fears many at-risk Bay Area families could soon face increased hunger.

The pop-up pantries closing is only one thing worrying folks out here, though.

With the Trump administration also proposing funding cuts for programs like CalFresh, many people are anxious they won't have anywhere else to go.

Those proposed cuts could come as a part of President Trump's big, beautiful bill which is currently making its way through Congress.

It could cut federal food stamp benefits, which would impact CalFresh.

Brunet says if those cuts become reality, he could see the $50 a month he receives in CalFresh cut.

MORE: Millions of Americans could lose health insurance under Trump megabill, CBO estimates

"I'm very worried because the little bit extra that they raised it to is going to decrease or disappear. And that's a problem," Brunet said.

While the pop-up pantries are closing, the food bank itself will still be operating as normal.

But with so much demand, Tatmon says they won't be able to help everybody.

"We have a waitlist with over 6,500 people on it. So everybody won't be able to get placement," Tatmon said.

A fact that worries people like Brunet, who tells us while he doesn't know what's coming next for him, all he can do is hope for the best.

"I'm going to have to stretch everything out to a degree where I'm just not going to feel full. So, it's a hard moment in time honestly," Brunet said.