CONCORD, Calif. - Amid growing concern about food insecurity in the Bay Area, Lieutenant Governor Elena Kounalakis met Monday with several nonprofit leaders working on the front lines of hunger relief.

Kounalakis toured White Pony Express, a Concord–based food recovery organization that distributes millions of pounds of surplus food each year to partner agencies serving those in need. The visit comes as local nonprofits brace for a surge in demand, fueled by the ongoing freeze of SNAP (CalFresh) payments to low-income families.

"In my mind, we’ve actually been in a food crisis," said Eve Birge, CEO of White Pony Express. "It has been mounting since COVID."

Birge said her organization already serves about 130,000 people annually, a number expected to rise sharply as federal benefits re

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