By Special to The Post

The interfaith community effort commemorates the 250th anniversary of the U.S.

More than 29,000 meals were received and distributed at the historic Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in West Oakland as part of an interfaith community effort to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB), Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church (MZMBC), and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) partnered to address food insecurity throughout Alameda County.

A semi-truckload of food arrived at MZMBC in Oakland on Tuesday, July 21. This was one of 250 trucks the LDS church is sending throughout the United States. By the end of the year 10 million pounds of food will be donated. Each truck carries approximately 40,000 pounds of shelf-stable pantry staples that can feed 1,400 families for one week.

The need for food is significant. According to the ACCFB, 1 in 4 members of the community they serve is experiencing or at risk of hunger.

“The challenges get much harder during the summer when children no longer have access to healthy meals at school,” says Regi Young, executive director of Alameda County Community Food Bank. “Our community and our food bank face similar challenges accessing some of the highest quality and high demand foods because they are typically also the most expensive.

“Fresh milk is among the top items on these lists, so we are extremely grateful for this donation to help more families stretch their budgets and get through these challenging summer months,” Young said.

Two days later, on July 23, another semi-truck, this one bearing fresh milk from the LDS church, arrived at the ACCFB.
Event organizers share a commitment to caring for those in need and fostering meaningful service connections within communities.

“After 250 years, there is still food insecurity in America, and this is an interfaith community effort to eradicate hunger in our communities and cities,” said Pastor Michael Wallace of Mount Zion. “We believe that having food is a basic human right and to address it is our Christian duty. That’s what makes this partnership so meaningful.”

“Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe in following the Savior’s commandments to love God and to love our neighbor,” says David Kimball, president of the Oakland Stake of the LDS church. “We are grateful to partner with these organizations to help care for those in need in our community.”

Welcoming the truck’s arrival at 10 a.m. at MZMBC were Kimball, Young, Wallace of MZMBC, and civil rights activist and Post News Group Publisher Paul Cobb. Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee was in attendance and addressed the hundreds of volunteers. Inspiring music was provided by members of the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir under the leadership of Terrance Kelly.

Teens from both churches were on hand to assist with loading food items for various local nonprofits and community groups to distribute to those in need. The teens also assembled 1,000 hygiene kits for the unhoused. Each kit will include a note of encouragement written by the children and youth of each church.
The churches and organizations that received food include:

• Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church
• ECAP (Emeryville Citizens Assistance Program)
• Support Life Foundation/Islamic Cultural Center of Northern California (ICCNC)
• Serenity House
• CRECE (Central American Refugee Committee)
• ION (Impact Oakland Now -Word Assembly, Center of Hope and Abyssinian Baptist Church)
• True Faith Baptist Church (East Oakland)

“These two large shipments of food and milk, along with this interfaith, community event, exemplify the spirit of volunteerism and community service that this country was built on,” says Gregg Ankenman, assistant director of Community Service for the Oakland/San Francisco Communication Council of the LDS Church.

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Pushes for Oakland-based Firms to Provide Repair for City-Operated Vehicles

Part 1

Concerned about how Oakland-based and/or minority firms have been “systematically omitted from bidding on millions of dollars of city work through the ‘waiver process’ and through neglect,” Oakland City Councilmember Ken Houston challenged an agenda item at Tuesday’s council meeting that would have awarded more than $6 million to suburban contractors for body and fender work on City vehicles.

Houston said, “I was concerned that, of the contracts presented, only one was awarded to a small, homegrown Oakland business — Quality Body & Fender located on Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The remaining contracts—with the exception of one additional contract added—were awarded to vendors located outside of the City of Oakland (Dixon, Concord and San Leandro), leaving out certified Oakland businesses, some of whom have been here for over 30 years.

“As both a City Councilmember and someone who was born and raised in Oakland, I believe we have a responsibility to invest in the businesses that invest in our community. When qualified local companies have the expertise and capacity to perform the work, they deserve a fair opportunity to compete for City contracts.

“I am proud to see Oakland’s Quality Body & Fender receive a $1.05 million City contract. This award recognizes a longstanding Oakland business and reflects the values that local companies bring to our community. Supporting qualified local vendors helps strengthen our local economy, creates opportunities for Oakland jobs and businesses, and keeps public investment circulating within our city,” he said.

Houston’s comments bring to mind the recent disparity study by Mason Tillman Associates for Oakland, which concluded that African American and women-owned businesses did not receive contracts comparable to their populations, but moreover nearly 65% of the city’s prime contracts were awarded to non-Oakland businesses.

“Supporting local businesses means investing in our own economy,” Houston said. “When we keep Oakland City dollars local, we strengthen small businesses, create jobs, and build long-term economic prosperity for our community.”

A procurement process that values Local and Small Business Enterprise (L/SBE) participation should recognize the broader economic benefits of awarding contracts to qualified Oakland businesses, he said.

Houston introduced Enoch Shin, operator of an automobile repair company at 1722 International Blvd., as an example of a business owner who is losing money, employees, and opportunities to generate revenues for Oakland.

Shin said he has lost $6 million in the last two years and laid off 19 employees, a workforce that consisted of African Americans, Asians, Indians, and many others.

Houston noted that the issue will come up for further consideration this fall before the full City Council.

“I will continue advocating for a procurement process that gives qualified, local vendors meaningful opportunities to compete while recognizing the long-term value of keeping Oakland’s investments in Oakland.

Houston encouraged all Oaklanders to participate in the upcoming City Council hearing. “Your voice matters, and together we can ensure our city’s investments benefit the people and businesses that call our community home,” Houston said.

He also announced that he will accept an invitation to join a citywide town hall with the Post Impact Foundation, inviting the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce to lead the Oakland business community and the Port of Oakland to join with other business advocates from the Black, Asian and Hispanic communities. “A lot of these decisions to exclude Oakland-based businesses are being made by city staff who don’’ live here,” Houston said.

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By Post Staff

The Bi-Annual Alameda County Community Connect Summer Resource and Job Fair for the Unhoused was held Wednesday at the Oakland Coliseum, drawing nearly 800 guests and 72 vendors.

In addition to housing assistance, vendors provided coaching, haircuts, headshots, and resume assistance for employment readiness; medical and dental services; veterinary services; food; clothing; gift cards; and more.

It was supported by Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, the Alameda County Work Development Board, Alameda County Probation Department, Social Services Agency, Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, and the Oakland Private Industry Council.

Their shared goal was to help create pathways to self-sufficiency while shifting perceptions of Alameda County’s unhoused residents.

“Many individuals are eager to work, but face significant barriers,” said Rochelle Baxter-Green, a career development specialist at the Eastmont Self-Sufficiency Center and coordinator of the event. “Through collaboration, we can help remove those barriers and support lasting change,” she wrote in the invitation to event participants.

As seasonal challenges like colder weather and increased need approach, community support is especially important. This event serves as a central hub where attendees can access wraparound services, connect with employers, and take meaningful steps toward stability. The fair supporters also provided hygiene packs and shoes and socks, anticipating colder weather ahead.

In May, Oaklandside reported that Alameda County’s biennial Point in Time count had found a 13% drop in overall homelessness and an 18% drop in unsheltered homelessness since 2024, bringing the proportion of unhoused people outside to its lowest point in more than a decade. Despite Oakland’s 20% decrease in the number of unhoused, the city can be seen as the ‘epicenter’ of the crisis by accounting for more than half of the county’s unhoused individuals, despite representing just 22% of the population.

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