photo credit: Shandra Back/KRCB
Food drive at Alicia Park in Rohnert Park on November 6, 2025.

 Walking up to Rohnert Park's Alicia Park this morning you can see lines of cars looped far around the block. They inch one spot forward every so often.

They’re all here to pick up food, and from the looks of it, they’re willing to wait.

Juan Gonzales is among those inching slowly forward. He said he’d been waiting for around an hour and ten minutes, and still had about two blocks to go before he’s even entering the parking lot.

This food distribution site is organized by the Redwood Empire Food Bank, the largest hunger-relief organization in Northern California.

With CalFresh food benefits, California’s version of SNAP, on pause for the month of November, representatives from the food bank said they are gearing up to receive a lot more people.

Redwood Empire Food Bank spokesperson Rachelle Mesheau said Alicia Park is one of their emergency sites. This means it’s one they’ve chosen that can accommodate more people during times of crisis, and she said they’re definitely in a crisis right now.

"I looked at the numbers on Tuesday, we were up to a 33% increase over our average daily amount," Mesheau said. "I know for this site, what they usually see here is about 240 families coming through. Last week that bumped up to 278 and today they're prepared for about 300 families."

Mesheau said the Rohnert Park park is ideal because it allows for both lines of cars and walk-ups.

"Right behind you here, we have one of our wonderful volunteers signing in people who are on foot," she said. "We have people carrying bags, there's people with carts."  

Mesheau said a long line of people are waiting to sign in and start going through the available free food.

"It is a little bit like a market," Mesheau said. "As you go down the line of food at the other end, now you'll see cars also lined up over on the other side. There's a lineup of volunteers at each touch point that will put food into the cars, the items that the people say that they would like to receive."

Tom Graham is one of the volunteers at the car pickup stations. The cars pull up, and he sticks the boxes right inside.

Asked what's in each box, Graham said, "[a] whole bunch of produce. Apples, apples, pears, cucumbers, some poblano peppers."

"They got some really good peppers," Graham said.

While the Redwood Empire Food Bank has long term volunteers like Graham, who’s been with them for two years, Mesheau said they’re also seeing new faces showing up to help right now.

"Our phones, we've been getting phone calls," Mesheau said. "Our website traffic has shot up. Our get food page has been up about 300%, and then people looking to support us either through donating food or volunteering. Our donate food page was up 500%, like 560% one day, 480% another day. So I've never felt so supported by a community as I have this past week. It has been absolutely incredible."

Mesheau said donating money is the biggest help, but also, of course, food. Mesheau also said organizations like Ding Dong Donate and A Simple Gesture are local efforts to work with as well, or anyone able to run a food drive, she said is a huge help too.

"Everyone understands the crisis we're in right now," Mesheau said. "No one wants to see their neighbor hungry."