South Bay charity tries to keep up with increasing number of hungry families

Workers at Sacred Heart Community Service say the growing need among hungry families in the South Bay right now is like nothing they’ve ever seen.

With just over two weeks until Thanksgiving, the nonprofit agency said it can’t even pivot into holiday mode because the immediate need is so great – need created by the ongoing government shutdown and questions over federal food assistance funding.

“We’re working double duty right now,” Sacred Heart Community Service Executive Director Poncho Guevara said.

Guevara said some donors and volunteers who have helped provide for the needy in years past are now finding themselves in need. He also said between the government shutdown, the economy, and the ongoing battle over federal food assistance funding, the need right now is worse than the pande