One in six people across Santa Clara and San Mateo counties turns to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley for food each month, the nonprofit reported Friday, Oct. 2.

The figure comes from a Second Harvest report that lays out the gap between what families earn and what it costs to live in the region. Half of those served are children and older adults. Nearly nine in 10 households surveyed include someone who is employed, retired or living with a disability.

Klaus, a 78-year-old San Mateo County resident who works as a caregiver and rideshare driver, was quoted in Second Harvest's May 19 client survey report: “My Social Security doesn't even pay the rent.”

The gap is enormous. A family of four with two working adults in Santa Clara County needs roughly $201,397 a year before taxes to cover basic expenses, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator. Two full-time workers earning California's $16.90 minimum wage bring in $70,304 combined before taxes, assuming each works 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, a shortfall of about $131,000 a year. Some cities and industries have higher minimum wages.

Housing and child care alone eat nearly $7,400 a month for that family. Grocery prices across the Bay Area have climbed 26.8% over the past five years, according to the 2026 Silicon Valley Index cited in Second Harvest's May survey.

That survey found 96% of respondents are cutting back on food to afford rent, utilities and healthcare. Fifty-eight percent said they worried about making next month's rent or mortgage payment.

The San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury put the problem in broader terms: more than 53,000 county residents are experiencing food insecurity, even in one of the nation's three wealthiest counties. That countywide estimate is not directly comparable with Second Harvest’s two-county monthly service figure.

San Mateo County supervisors approved $2 million in Second Harvest funding during fiscal year 2024–25 through Measure K, according to the county's Measure K Oversight Committee report. The investment is expected to provide about 4 million meals a year. Tracy Weatherby, Second Harvest’s vice president of strategy and advocacy, said in the report that demand at the time matched what the food bank saw during the pandemic.

New CalFresh work requirements for certain recipients took effect June 1, according to the California Department of Social Services, and Medi-Cal eligibility changes are being phased in, according to state health officials. Federal cuts under budget bill H.R. 1 are expected to reduce food assistance across the region, Second Harvest says.

Board of Supervisors President Noelia Corzo said on Aug. 18, when the board adopted a new Economic Mobility Framework, that low-wage workers face a housing market shaped by high-wage industries, according to Patch. She said low-income families “get squeezed.”

Residents who need food assistance can search for nearby distribution sites or call Second Harvest's multilingual Food Connection hotline at 1-800-984-3663, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Staff speak English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Cantonese, Mandarin and Tagalog.