Transcripts For KOFY ABC7 News 900PM On KOFY 20170608

You lost your son trey in april. I want to start with you. Weve worked together for several years now, been on a couple of panels together. And i want folks to know about joey. What was he like, and what happened to him . Hmm, well, joey was a senior at Arizona State university when we got the the horrible news that he had passed away in his bedroom overnight after a college party. Hed been out with friends the night before, and theyd gone to the nightclubs in the area to celebrate a birthday and an early graduation for a friend. Came back to his apartment, and he basically just went to sleep and didnt wake up. I would describe joey as pretty much the allamerican kid. He loved sports. While he was i think he started four like 4 years old all the way through high school, he was playing virtually every sport you could imagine. His special love was football, and he played football the last four years of his high school time, but. He was just a really fun guy to be around. He was everybodys friend. He walked in the room, and everybody was attracted to him. He was beautiful, i think. He was just a gorgeouslooking guy. Um, he was just a really genuine person and somebody that people seemed to gravitate to, you know, one way way or the other for, you know, consultation or friendship whatever it might be. I cant imagine what that is like, to lose a child so young. Youre never supposed to thats never supposed to happen. No, were supposed to definitely go before them, so. And, susan, you son trey, he was 23 . He was 23, and he had just recently moved back to marin county and lived very close to where a worked. And i got a call, um, from one of his friends, saying that trey was missing. So, i went over to his apartment and when i had gotten there, i got a phone call from his friends saying that they had found him and that he didnt make it that was the term that they had used. And trey was very much like aprils son very into sports, had a lot of friends, didnt seem like the type of kid that would get into heavy drugs. I knew he smoked marijuana, and i knew he drank. So not only was i dealing with the horror of losing my son, i had all of these questions about prescriptiondrug overdose and, you know, how does somebody die from codeine cough syrup . So, that was what was in his system . He was using a concoction the rappers made it popular called sizzurp or the lean or purple drank, and its with codeine cough syrup. And some candy, and. And 7up and whatever else is in it. And the same thing went home after a night of partying, went to sleep, and never woke up. Ugh, this is its so sad. Im so sorry for both of you and for your whole families. April, you and susan have both taken this grief and turning into Something Else that will help other parents. So, tell me about your organization. I sure will. Just a few months after joey passed away, we really came to realize that this was a really big problem prescriptiondrug abuse and as i looked around, nobody else was talking about it, it felt like, and certainly nobody was really educating Community Members. So, we formed the National Coalition against prescriptiondrug abuse, and its been operating ever since. We are a National Organization with a heavy focus on the bay area, because this is where we live, and our biggest challenge is really educating our Community Members about how dangerous the medications can be and to keep their families safe. You have events all yearround. Oh, yes. All yearround. Our website is a great place to go to see what were doing each month, but we do plan things all yearround. Okay, ive been with you on some of the walks, which is very, very empowering. Now, youve started a Grassroots Organization in marin. People dont think marin has this kind of problem. Statistically, more affluent areas tend to have higher levels of addiction. And when i first started with this group called rxsafe marin, which has brought together a lot of different Community Members educators and Law Enforcement, the court system, mentalhealth education and so, were working towards reducing all types of addiction in marin, and we have made a lot of progress so far since this group. And this year, were focusing on some grassroots events to really educate the community, because theres a lot of things that people can do in the community to help, you know, even if their child or someone in their family doesnt face addiction. Just storing and disposing your Prescription Drugs properly is a big help. Because then they dont land in the hands of people that dont need to have them. I dont think we realize that our medicine cabinet is the source, or can be the source. So, we have about a minute left. I want you to tell me what this isnt a problem just for kids, but its at all ages. Oh, it is. It crosses all age boundaries, ethnic groups, and whatever else. We see little toddlers get ahold of medication left casually on a counter down theyve overdosed. They usually get saved because a parent or adult is close by. We also see that people get addicted to these medications by taking them as prescribed, so anybody in the middle in fact, we lose more people in the 35 to 55year age range than anybody else. And then weve got the elderly we have to be really concerned about. They have a lot of medications, a lot of doctors, and things can go wrong. All right, your website . Its rxsafemarin. Org. Okay, all right. Thank you both for being here. We have a lot more to talk about. We have some other guests coming up. Thank you for being here. Thank you for doing this program. And we have so much more to get to on the opioid epidemic. Coming up, a very personal story from a prominent east bay leader in the ministry. He was a promising athlete who became hooked on Prescription Drugs after an injury. How he survived and is now helping others. Stay with us. Well be right back. vo want to be happy with your next vehicle purchase . At enterprise, we guarantee it. Head to yo neighborhood enterprise car sales and let the people who buy more vehicles than anyone. Change your thinking about buying your next one. I started taking three at a time, and then i was taking four at a time, and then i started taking six. I became addicted that day. My daughter she was dead. Were talking about the deadly epidemic of opioid abuse that has killed hundreds of thousands of people since 2000. Here with us right now in the studio is pastor Raymond Lankford with the voices of Hope Community church in oakland, and also works with the Healthy Communities program. Thank you for being here. Thank you for having me. We talked by phone about your journey as a young athlete. It started when you were a strapping young man and you got an injury. Lets take a look back at an interview you did very early in your career. Youve had to fight through injury problems over about the last four to six weeks. Tell us a little bit about that. Well, its been a big ever since the christmas break, ive been getting injured, it seems like. But its been sort of like what is called a letdown, but right now im coming back. My quickness is coming back. Im starting to play better d. Im hustling more. Im just glad to be back in shape. I was a young athlete attending a very prominent university. I sustained an injury, and i was prescribed a medication for that, and i became addicted. Did anybody talk about addiction at that time . Not really, cause, you know, we were a very good college, doing very good work athletically and also within the community. And of course, you know, i had the support there, but a lot of people didnt talk about it. But i saw it in my community, coming up as a kid, but you think, hey, this will never happen to me. And then was it just that . I mean, thats bad enough, but was there did you spiral down to even worse situations . Yes, yes. I ended up losing my athletic scholarship. My addictions led to other hardcore addictions uppers, downers, pain pills, crack cocaine, snorting heroin. You name it, i became addicted, and thats what i did. How did you break out of that . What kind of support what did your family say, or did you even tell them . Well, my family, when they found out, they were very disappointed. Of course. But i always remember my mother said, you better come back home with a degree. So, i was able to earn three degrees. But what really helped, i was referred to san the Teen Challenge San Francisco Teen Challenge. And that agency really helped me to get a handle, get a grip, on life, and i began to fight my way back. How long did it take you . It took me several years. It took me several years. I was in my addiction for about 10 years. Oh. Brutal. And ive been clean for about 30 years. Congratulations. Thank you. And now youve used that that lesson to help others. Tell us about that. Yes, im excited to go and share my testimony at churches, at anybody that will give me an opportunity to share. We started a local Community Organization that provides primary care, mental health, alcohol and drug, violenceprevention services. And working with the faith community, weve been able to do a lot of help and education and outreach through the faith community. But wherever we can, you know, share our story, because, you know, no parent sends their kids to college to find out that their kid has passed away because of an overdo an addiction of drugs. Thats right. So, whats your final thought for parents out there who think, as april and susan thought, that you know, you get to 18 or 21, you think, oh, my work is done . Right. You know what i found, as a parent myself, is that we have to parent our children when they are teenagers and young adults. Absolutely. Stay involved. Ask questions. Look into the cabinets. Look under the beds and in the dresser drawers. Thank you, pastor lankford, for sharing your story. Thank you. And congratulations on your success. Thank you. And coming up next, youre going to hear from a former Pharmacy Technician turned police officer, who teaches others about the deadly risks of Prescription Drug abuse. And the head of the San Francisco Drug Enforcement administration is also going to join us. Later on, youll hear how opioids affect the brain and why the cravings are so intense. Stay with us. Well be right back. I did martial arts, gymnastics, piano lessons. I was an honorroll student always went to school. I was like 3. 43 grade point average. Mm. Well, the federal government says 91 people die in this country every day from overdoses from opioids such as oxycodone or heroin. Its an epidemic that a lot of people dont even want to acknowledge until theyve lost somebody. Our guests right now are lieutenant tim simmons with the Richmond Police department and john martin, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement administration, San Francisco division. Thank you both for being here today. Thanks for having us, cheryl. Special agent, i wanted to start with you because the documentary were using is something that came about from the fbi and dea. Thats really ive never seen anything like it. Yeah, its a wonderful collaboration. That is a really effective 45minute documentary that really focuses on the prescription, opioid, and prescriptiondrug abuse and opioid abuse in america through the eyes of the individuals and families that have been affected by it. Its really powerful. It is powerful. Thank you for being a part of that. We had talked by phone earlier with your department about the number of deaths that you had investigated in sacramento involving fentanyl. Absolutely. About 11 months ago, in march and april of 2016, there was a rash of overdoses. Over 50 56 in the greater sacramento region. What we found through our investigation was that counterfeit prescription pills had been made, and these prescription pills were made to look like hydrocodone pills. They were being sold on the street, and these pills actually contained fentanyl, which is a opioid compound. Now, fentanyl is extremely powerful. Its 25 to 50 times more powerful than heroin. So, these folks were buying what they thought was a legitimate hydrocodone pill on the black market, yet they were buying a pill that contained fentanyl. And it killed them. And we had 15 people die of overdoses. Wow. Well, lieutenant simmons, you have the unique perspective from being a Pharmacy Technician turned police officer. Now youre training other officers and district attorneys how to recognize the dangers from prescriptiondrug abuse. Can you give us what did you see before and now . So, working in the pharmacy as a Pharmacy Technician, in the profession, you saw a lot of individuals who were most likely addicted to the opiatebased drugs, who were doctorshopping or pharmacyshopping or altering prescriptions and trying to find other illicit ways to get their hands on more of the opiate drug or amphetamine drug that they were addicted to. And now in Law Enforcement, you see those people out on the street, whether they just purchased something illicitly or whether theyre trying to sell something illicitly, and were contacting them there. But when you had officers originally when you started, the officers didnt really know what to do when they would see these baggies of stuff. Right, they would encounter people that would just say, this is my medication, and without any knowledge of what that is and idea of how to move forward with it, they would say, okay, give it right back to them, and carry on with whatever they thought, you know, their investigation was gonna lead them to and, really, not much was done. But youve now trained hundreds of officers. Hundreds, yes. And so, have you noticed a difference yet . I have. Particularly in the city of richmond, our officers are welltrained, and they are actually looking for those things with citizens and their contacts and when theyre in the homes, making sure that things are on the upandup. And then working with other people, other lawenforcement agencies, to include the dea. All over northern california, there really has been a difference. Special agent martin, when your folks go and they go to these areas where they confiscate this material, ive seen pictures of them in full hazmat gear. Its dangerous work. It is, and its a concern for Law Enforcement and first responders. Fentanyl is so highly potent, and it can be absorbed through the skin or through the eye ducts, so we take great precautions to not only protect ourselves, but protect the public cause sometimes these counterfeitpill operations will be in someones apartment or in someones house, and so we want to make sure that were protecting ourselves with these suits, but also making sure that we properly clean the area from hazmat and remediate the site. We talked some numbers. 91 people dying every day and more than 50,000 people the numbers are staggering. Can you put that in context . Absolutely. You know, last year, 52,000 people died of an opioid overdose. To put that into context im a San Francisco giants fan just down the street here, we have at t park. So, at t park holds roughly 42,000 people. So, add another 10,000 people on top of that, and thats how many people died last year of drug abuse, 33,000 of those from opioids. I dont think people realize just how dangerous Prescription Drugs, that they they think theyre benign because its a Prescription Drug. But we talked earlier about it. Its in your medicine cabinet. Mmhmm. So, how do we dispose of those, or how do we how can we be safer . So, there are a lot of ways to actually safely dispose of those drugs, and i highly encourage you to do it. Most Police Departments, or a lot of Police Departments will have drug drop boxes right in their lobby. I know the Richmond Police department does. And then, several times a year, the dea sponsors a National Drug takeback day, where all over the country, and all over california specifically, there are pickup and dropoff locations where they can dispose of those safely. Just dont throw them down the drain. Dont throw them in the garbage. Thats not the place to do it. Contact your local lawenforcement agency, and they can hopefully point you in the right direction. All right, we have about 10 seconds left. Final thought from you, sir . Well, just with the Prescription Drugs and opioids, just be careful. If youre buying something on the street, it could be dangerous and potentially deadly. All right, gentlemen, thank you very much. Thank you for the work youre doing, too. And when we come back, youre going to learn why opioids are so addictive and how they can actually change the chemistry of the brain. Stay with us. Well be right back. I had a great childhood, um, great family. We did a lot of camping, um, a lot of fun stuff going to the beach, camping at the beach. Very active in scouting boy scouts and. We are back with a local doctor who is on the front lines of the opioidaddiction epidemic dr. Kelly pfeifer with the California Health care foundation, and thank you for being here today. Oh, thanks for having me. Ive read several of the articles youve written about opioid addiction, and one of which you talked about prince, the late prince, and stigma and the need for treatment. Well, princes story is so tragically common. We have so many people who go into the emergency room, their overdose is reversed, their life is saved, and then theyre back in the community and then theres often a death a few weeks later. And if you compare it to how we treat any other condition like a heart attack if you go into an Emergency Department with a heart attack, not only is your life saved, but an entire team of people gather together to make sure this never happens again. You get medications right away, specialists visit you in the hospital, your Insurance Company might send a case manager to make sure you get all the treatment you need. On the other hand, if you have addiction, your life is saved with a drug that makes you feel horrible, like youre gonna die. Youre overwhelmed with cravings, and then you might be given a piece of paper saying, go get treaent, when all that person can think about is to feel okay, which means getting the drug again. So, part of thats stigma. A huge piece of it stigma. And also, its just our system is not set up to treat addiction. We still separate the part of the brain where if you have a physical problem in your body, we accept that as something we should treat. If its in your brain, we think its something youre blamed for, and we dont see it as our responsibility. So, why does it take hold . Why are the cravings so intense . How does it change your brain . Well, our brain chemistrys meant to stay in balance. And if you flood your brain with heroin or any opioid pill, your brain responds by stopping to make the chemical that helps us manage pain, that helps us bond with others, and helps us motivate to make change in our lives. So if you suddenly stop this drug when youve been on it for a long time, all of that part of the brain shuts down and you feel terrible. Youre filled with pain. Youre filled with desperation. You have difficulty bonding with others or making plans. And so, thats why medication to treat addiction is so effective, because it stabilizes that part of the brain, helps you feel normal again, and then you can participate in recovery. But where do they get this, if we dont have enough Treatment Centers . Well, were working on that across the state. I know youre working on this, yeah. We have policymakers, health plans, providers, Community Advocates all working to try and make sure we get to the place where everyone who needs treatment can get it when they need it. You should be able to get treatment in the emergency room, in a primarycare office, in a county Behavioral Health clinic, in a speciality program. We should get to a place in a few years where no matter where you enter the system, youre able to be assessed for addiction compassionately, without judgment, and get the treatment you need. That would be a great dream to have, right . Its especially important in pregnancies. So, we see so many families split apart because of addiction. If we were better at working with pregnant women, identifying addiction, getting women on treatment, helping them change their lives, then we would be able to have moms and babies Stay Together and not have this terrible situation we have now of infants going into withdrawal, going into foster care, and mothers losing the best motivation you could ever have to make change. You talked about a coalition of people who are working to make change. For people right now, though, if they want help, what can they do . Well, the unfortunately, a lot of it is advocating for yourself. You can go online and find treatment resources. You can call your Insurance Company. You can go to your doctor. You can call the county Behavioral Health services. So, treatment is available, but sometimes people have to work pretty hard to find it. But were working to a different future where that wouldnt be true, and there its encouraging to me to see how many coalitions across the state are trying to figure this out in their communities so people have the resources they need. And how is how important is it for your family to just hang in there with you, as hard as it gets . This is a chronic disease. It takes time. I mean, no one gets a diagnosis of diabetes, then immediately starts exercising and changes their life and loses weight, but somehow we have this expectation of addiction that it should happen instantly. So, when someone goes into treatment, theres gonna be failures and relapses, but people do get better. And thats why pastor lankfords story is so inspiring. We see over and over that overdoses are preventable, addiction is treatable, and we can do better. And we can go on your Foundation Site and learn more information. Absolutely. We have a lot of resources, and i would love to see people visit and learn what were doing. Thank you so much, and thank you for the work youre doing, too. Thank you. All right, and we have so much more to talk about, but for now, we have a lot of information about our guests and the resources they shared for you on todays program. Just go to our website, abc7news. Com community. Were also on facebook abc7communityaffairs, as well as cheryljenningsabc7. And please follow me on twitter cherylabc7. Thanks so much for joining us. Have a great week. Well see you next time. Abc7 presents beyond the headlines with cheryl jennings. Welcome to beyond the headlines. Im cheryl jennings. You know, communities across the bay area are facing issues of hunger every single day. It affects children, seniors, people with steady jobs, and so many more. According to the five bay area food banks, almost 800,000 people use their Services Every month. Now, overall, these food banks distribute more than 170 Million Pounds of food to those in need every year. Its interesting to note that more than half of the total pounds of food distributed is actually Fresh Produce. I am proud to say that abc7s parent company, disney, is committed to fighting hunger. This past year disney donated 1. 5 million to the feeding America Network of food banks, and this means that each of our local food banks in the network received 15,000 from disney and abc7 to continue their important efforts. Right now we have a local story of a young person making a difference. The city of san jose is teaming up with a south bay teenager to fight hunger. Kiran sridhar founded waste no food, a website and an app that lets businesses donate leftover food to charities. The hunger at home has already used the app to help Silicon Valley companies and restaurants donate 10,000 meals that otherwise would go to the landfill. Instead of putting a cheese tray out for 500, we deconstruct and put the different components in smaller platters, and when not used and it cant be consumed by team members or by future guests, then its donated safely. Now, san jose is the first city to partner with waste no food. Hunger is a big problem, sadly, in the wealthy Silicon Valley. One in four residents lives with hunger. One of those residents is in the studio with me right now, kelly kang. She is a wife, a mother of four, and their family struggles regularly to make ends meet. Kelly, thank you for being here today. Thank you for having me. I really appreciate the fact youre willing to come forward and talk about whats going four kids. How old are your kids . Theyre 11, 9, 5, and 2 1 2. Had to think about that for a minute, right . Yes. And do you have a husband . Yes. And hes unfortunately had a disability, something on the job . Yes, he was a machinist, and he got hurt on the job, and he hasnt been able to work since. So youre carrying the load for everybody right now. Yes, yes. And youve also just moved, so tell me about that. Yeah, this is kind of stressful. It gets hard. Yes, its stressful trying to get into place. But we finally got settled in and just trying to deal with that right now. Yeah, and with all that, with the moving and costs and you have one car, right . Yes, yes. For all of you. So, getting around and getting the kids around and getting to your job. Yeah, i have to take Public Transit so my husband can take all the kids to school so he has a car available for him. Thats what were gonna have to start doing, yeah. Now, one of the big reasons youre able to do what you do is because of foodbank support. Yes, thats correct. So, tell me how that works. Ive been going to church about a year and a half Trinity Church to get the food available for us, and then we pick up the produce, and then we go there, pick all the fresh fruits and vegetables, and then theres also, you know, canned goods and meats, and then once we get that, it helps that we make salads, cause its very expensive to do that, cause i currently work at a Grocery Store, and its still very expensive to try to get the fresh fruits and vegetables for us. So, once we do that, we bring it home, and that seems to help us out quite a bit. And then they get the food from another source. Yes. Second harvest food bank. And Second Harvest is so awesome. I love working with them. They were even kind enough to help you with being here today. Yes. Tell us about that. Yes. Actually, susie from Trinity Church, she actually contacted me and asked me if id be willing to do a story, and then caitlin kerk actually contacted me, and thats how i ended up here today. And you got a ride here. Yes, exactly. Otherwise you wouldve had to take the bus. [ laughing ] exactly. So im really grateful that youre here. So, now, fresh fruits are so important, especially with young kids. Yes. And how frustrating for you you work at a Grocery Store and cant really afford to buy the food that you sell to other people. Yes, exactly. So, thats another issue, but the fact that you have the food Bank Available to you, what does that do for your family . How do you see it changing your family . Its exciting for my kids. They get to pick out what they want to eat, and then also i make smoothies for them every day, especially my youngest, my 2 1 2yearold son. He wont eat vegetables, so i make it as a smoothie, throw some flaxseed in, it helps out tremendously, and we get to eat salads a few times a week, because its very expensive to do that, too. And then my oldest actually cuts up all her fruit and provides it for them, so that does help. And i think a lot of people think that when youre poor that all you eat are starches and cheeses, right, which is not the best thing for you to eat, so the fact that youre able to have healthy food, especially for growing bodies, they need that for their minds and their bodies. Yeah, we get a good variety. That makes it really nice, too. Definitely. Do they have some favorites . Veggies . Yes. They actually love to eat salad lettuce, tomato, cucumber they all love that, and actually two of my daughters love broccoli. So im really lucky in that way. So, they like that. They like to pick out the cereal and the bread, so we try to have very a lot of variety of foods. Yeah. And it does make a difference because that means that your family can be normal with all the stresses that you have underway. So, were almost out of time. What do you want other families to know who might think, oh, i dont need that or im too proud. I dont have to do that. Whats your advice for them . Just basically there is food out there. Theres help out there. Its hard to ask, but just go there. This church i go to, you dont have to belong to the congregation. Just walk up, and theyre just so supportive. I think sometimes you just end up forgetting that youre getting that help, so just ask for it. Its available to you, and it affects your kids if you dont do that. Right. It does affect your kids. And i think you said a really important thing. Dont hold back. Dont be shy about it. Yes. Its hard. It was embarrassing for me. It still is, but the help is out there, and i just think about the kids. You just said something really important. It was embarrassing for you. But now all the people who want to help you and help your family thrive, its really remarkable. Yes. Ive had a lot of support and help out there with his family and ours. Theyve reached out and helped us out, too. So we want people who are watching your story at home to give generously to Second Harvest so that they can help all the agencies in your county. Yes, definitely. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you. Thank you for sharing your story. No problem. And best wishes for healthy kids. Yes, thank you. And your husband, too. Yes, thank you very much. All right, kelly. Nice to meet you here. Nice meeting you, too. All right, we have a lot more to talk about. When we come back, were gonna learn about the importance of how Fresh Produce affects hunger relief, and the incredible amount of food that goes to waste before it ever gets sold or even donated. Stay with us. Welcome back to beyond the headlines. Im cheryl jennings. Were talking about families in need and the value of Fresh Produce in our hungerrelief efforts. You may not realize it, but most of us throw away more than 1,000 worth of food every year, and you might be even more surprised to know just how much food goes to waste before it ever hits the stores. As abc7 news anchor reggie aqui explains, wasted food is a national crisis. These greens look good enough to eat, until you realize this salad bar is in a dump. We found thousands of pounds of Fresh Produce heaped high, much of it in storeready bags. This load here by itself was probably close to 10 tons. Cesar zuniga says the mountain of vegetables is just a fraction of what he sees every day at this waste processing facility in salinas. The Salinas Valley produces 70 of the countrys salad greens. This batch came from dole. Unfortunately, im not surprised. Dana gunders is the author of the waste free kitchen handbook, and wrote this report for the National Resources Defense Council with a shocking conclusion. Across the country, we waste about 40 of all the food that comes into our food supply. That includes food waste on farms, those scraps you leave behind in a restaurant, lettuce going bad in your fridge, and bruised or spoiled food in Grocery Stores. But that doesnt include produce supermarkets reject. The industry has very specific standards, everything from the size of a banana to the shape of a bell pepper. What doesnt make the cut doesnt make the shelf. Certainly cant have a big nose like this. Huge amounts of fruits and vegetables are rejected because theyre ugly. We basically buy the produce from california farmers that wouldnt normally make it to Grocery Stores. Then emeryvillebased imperfect foods boxes it up and sells it to you at a big discount. So, theres absolutely nothing wrong with these fruits and vegetables. Theyre basically the same exact quality as normal grocerystore product. Theyre just shaped a little bit funny. The Food Industry knows it has a problem. We were really startled to discover that the single biggest category of whats going into landfills in the u. S. Is food. The National Food Waste Reduction Alliance is bringing together grocery manufacturers, food marketers, and the Food Service Industry to cut down food waste. One strategy is to recycle more. Were actually diverting 93 of our food waste away from landfill. But as we found in salinas, there is still plenty of waste. This lettuce looks good. Some of it was bagged and ready to go nearly two weeks from expiring. Not to mention all the water that was wasted to grow all this food. So why were they thrown away . Dole foods wouldnt talk on camera, but in a statement said, dole disposes of approximately 20,000 pounds weekly at the salinas waste facility, adding that these bags are samples that we use to monitor Product Performance and not intended for public consumption. Doles statement didnt address the lettuce not in bags. Local food banks want to see more of these greens tossed on a table, not in the trash. Wed love to have all that we can get. The Food Waste Reduction Alliance Says its encouraging members to donate more. Nobody likes to see food wasted, least of all us because we dont see that as food waste. We see that as an opportunity to get food for lowincome people who need that food. Reggie aqui, abc7 news. Amazing, huh . Well, in the studio with me right now is keisha nzewi. She is the advocacy manager at the Alameda County food bank. And thank you for being here with us today. Thank you so much for having us. There is so much that youre gonna talk about today that i am learning for the first time, and i am just in awe of the work that the food bank does. So, first of all, start with who you serve. Well, the truth is we serve everyones neighbor. In Alameda County, we are serving one in five of our neighbors every year. One in five . Mmhmm. Thats 20 . Oh, my gosh. Which is surprising because were in such an affluent area. Right. Thats incredible. Mmhmm. So, one of the things that you did and i just learned this today, and i dont know why i dont know this but you actually eliminated one kind of beverage. Yeah. In 2005, our executive director, suzan bateson, made the very bold move to stop distributing soda. But by doing that, that eliminated a lot of poundage that our food bank was distributing, and at that time, thats how our success was measured. But instead thats when we started to incorporate more fresh fruits and vegetables. So, in 2005, we were able to distribute a Million Pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables. Wow and this fiscal year were on pace to reach nearly 19 Million Pounds. Oh, my gosh. How do you get that . I mean, thats a lot of food. Its a lot of food. Whats probably surprising to a lot of people is that food banks actually purchase most of their food, and although we do receive a lot of donations, of course, our produce we pretty much purchase at about 10 cents per pound. Now, do you deal with specific farmers . How does that work . Well, were so lucky to live in california and not in the frozen tundra, so we have fresh fruits and vegetables available to us yearround from california growers. I hope they give you a good deal. Its 10 cents a pound. Its better than we get at the Grocery Store. Thats true. Thats true. We heard kelly talking about that. Mmhmm. And the healthy food kelly was talking about how important it is for her kids. And have you seen a difference when you change the distribution of the types of food from just canned goods, salty things to fresh food . I think people appreciate so much the opportunity to buy foods that are otherwise out of reach for them because of cost, and so, by being able to provide so many fresh fruits and vegetables and other foods that are good for health, its really important, and it really i dont know brings a level of equity to communities that otherwise cant access the foods that you and i may take for granted. Right. And they should have that right. Absolutely. So, you get all this tons and tons of food so, how do you distribute all of that . We are we have a network of over 200 member agencies, which are both food pantries and soup kitchens, so places that prepare meals or places that give out groceries, and they acquire their food from us and possibly other sources, and then they distribute it to their community. And is there a limit on the amount somebody can take . Well, with fresh fruits and vegetables, thats unlimited supply to our member agencies. Nice. And once theyre distributing it in the community, oftentimes they dont have to put a limit, but, of course, resources are limited, and sometimes they may say people can take so many of this and so many of that. But the great thing is that people can choose and choose the foods that their families enjoy and arent forced to take whatever is given. Right. They dont feel like its a handdown. Right. All right. The important phone number for people. Right. So, when people need food, they should call 1800870food, or 3663. And in our last few seconds, whats the most important thing people can do at home to help you help people who need food . I think that they should donate. Every dollar thats donated to Alameda County Community Food bank were able to purchase 6 worth of food, so their dollar goes a very long way. So 10 would buy a lot of food then. Lots. Keisha, thank you so much. Thank you for the work youre doing, too. Thank you. All right. And we have a lot more to talk about. Were gonna learn about food waste and food rescue and how that affects hunger relief. Stay with us. Well be right back. Youre going to be hanging out in here. So if you need anything, text me. Do you play . Use the chase mobile app to send money in just a tap, to friends at more banks then ever before. You got next . Chase. Helping you master whats now and whats next. Welcome back to beyond the headlines. Im cheryl jennings. You know, a lot of families enjoy big meals during the holidays and big gatherings, and all that food we buy and cook, part of its gonna end up in the trash. You know that. So how can you keep from throwing away your money . Abc News Reporter Rebecca Jarvis has that story. In this kitchen, what many restaurants may consider trash is actually headed to the table. We were ending up with surplus ingredients. Saucy by nature, a restaurant in brooklyn, new york, focuses on zero waste. That means when its catering business finishes a wedding or corporate event, the leftover ingredients go to the restaurant instead of the landfill. We dont just have to be driven by money and profit. From restaurants to your own refrigerator, americans are throwing out more than 130 billion pounds of food every year. 40 of the food thats grown is wasted. And its not just food waste, but wasted money. 371 per person spent on food you end up throwing out. Multiply that for a family, and were talking about thousands of dollars each year. Whats worse there are still many people who dont have enough. One in six americans goes hungry, and so we have this very odd juxtaposition. At revive foods in San Francisco, the focus is on food rescue, turning overripe or ugly fruit thats still perfectly edible into products like jam. Its not just a social problem. Its just not an environmental problem. Its not just an economic one. Its all of them. Simple steps can help you limit your food waste. When you eat out, ask for smaller portions or share with friends. At home, take stock of what you have before you go grocery shopping, and watch where you store things. Keeping onions and potatoes together shortens the shelf life on both. Another simple way to save check those bestbuy labels on your groceries. They arent hard and fast rules, just recommendations for retailers. For example, on your eggs, the date here means its still good for another three to five weeks. Rebecca jarvis, abc news, new york. And here in the studio with me right now from the food bank of contra costa solano, executive director larry sly. And you have been doing this for so long. Its so nice to see you again. Nice to see you. How many years now . Its coming up on 40 years. Its a long time. Eh, youre just a pup. Youre just getting started, right . Hopefully ill get it down. [ laughing ] maybe some fool will hire you, right . Yeah, right. You started the first one of the first food banks back in the 70s. Why . Why did you do that . Well, okay. At that point what we were doing was providing a supplemental assistance. Somebody went in to apply for a government assistance program, had forgot to bring their childrens birth certificates. They sent them to the local church, where they could get three days worth of food to help get them through until the government assistance programs were available to them. Its been interesting, cheryl, because what weve seen now is weve become part of the network that provides service to people in need because of the access we have to Fresh Produce, stuff we recover from Grocery Stores. We are part of the system. Were not just a supplement. Were an integral part of what goes on in the community. Yeah, but back then, you were just what . In a parking lot and a truck . One truck . Exactly. We had a trailer park in a parking lot, two people, and it was an idea, you know. Unlike steve jobs, where his thing grew into something a lot bigger, but weve grown into an industry that provides a very essential service to the community. And it makes a huge difference. Very much, very much. I think it really speaks to the power of what one person can do. Yeah. If you care and if you have the thought. And what weve seen is the growth of food banks throughout the nation because we have become an integral part of the system, saving food from waste, getting it to people in need, and making a difference for hungry people in our community. Now, if didnt have what you have and that distribution system, it would be a lot harder to get so many people to give them access. Completely. I mean, weve really built integral systems based on other volunteer organizations working with us, faithbased organizations. We do a lot of directservice programs ourselves because of the Community Support we get. For instance, we have a program called the Community Produce program that takes fresh fruits and vegetables out in a beverage truck, and we set up a mobile Farmers Market at 50 sites throughout contra, costa, and solano counties. Most of the other food banks in the bay area are doing the same thing as well, and in that way we get the fresh fruits and veggies out to people who need the help. I think thats so important because a lot of people, if theyre struggling economically, they cannot go drive and they cant afford the stuff at the Grocery Store. We find that more than half the families we serve have a working individual in the family, but they just cant make it because the cost of living is so high. I mean, if youre making 12 an hour, thats not enough to live on in the bay area. No, it absolutely isnt. We talked about the story that we saw there about food waste, and so the question comes up, does food waste cause hunger . I think theyre sort of parallel universes. If we can save food from waste, we help to deal with hunger, but the issue of hunger is the bigger one that we focus on. We really want to see what we do become a supplement like it was when i originally started. Wed really like to see more people enrolled in the Calfresh Program, receiving the benefits that are available to them to help provide healthy food to their children. One of the drawbacks to what we have is we only give away what we get, so the family doesnt really have the option to get all the foods that they may necessarily need, so if we have more people getting in the Calfresh Program and what we do can supplement that, its gonna be the best thing for lowincome people in our community. Youre talking about calfresh and i was remembering what kelly said earlier about how she was embarrassed to reach out for help, but her kids and her disabled husband were so much more important so she had to overcome that. So is that a big problem to get people to you . Yeah, i think thats a big problem, and part of what we do is outreach. All the food banks in the bay area are doing outreach to try and educate people that food stamps, calfresh is the First Response to hunger in our community, and its what the government really can do to help people in need get the food thats really necessary to them. So, yeah, we really dont want people to be embarrassed. We want people to get the food their children need. So how does it work . People go down, they enroll, they can come in with a talk to a calfresh outreach worker. They can help them prepare their application so that when they go to the county office to actually apply, it should be an easy process they go through, and then they start to receive benefits, and theyll actually get an atm card that they can use in the Grocery Store that allows them to buy the healthy food that they need to provide for their children. Do they need documentation . Theres certain documentation, but thats what our outreach worker helps them understand what they need to have in the way of birth certificates, income verification, the kinds of things that the county office needs to deal with, and we try to make it as easy as possible for them so that they go through and get the benefits that their children need. So, before we wrap up we have just a few more seconds do you need volunteers, and how important are donations . Both are critical. We really demand we demand we ask that people give us food donations during the holiday season. Thats critical to us. We need volunteers. We had over 90,000 hours of volunteer time given to our food bank last year. That makes a big difference in the amount that were able to do. But money money is critical. As keisha said, we really need money to pay for the gas for our trucks, to pay for the food that we acquire, so we need the Community Support in order to make it work. Were very effective with every dollar that we get. More people are fed because of the efficiencies that food banks have, so we hope that people will invest in our work. And we hope they will, too, and thats why were here, so thank you so much. Appreciate it. Appreciate your guys help at abc7. Any time. That is it, unfortunately, for todays show, but we have a lot more information for you about todays special and some resources where you live. Just go to our website, abc7news. Com community. And were on facebook at at abc7 community affairs, and please follow me on twitter cherylabc7. Im cheryl jennings. Have a great week. Well see you next time. narrator reading narrator today, a pair of mysterious gunmen open fire outside of moscows soccer arena. When the shooting stops, a top Government Official lies injured and bleeding in the parking lot and his driver is seriously wounded. Hours later in a nearby hospital,