On a gray morning in Oakland’s Fruitvale neighborhood, dozens of coat-bundled seniors make their way up the ramp behind a local food bank. Inside, some reach for ripe bunches of bananas and others fill large canvas totes with bright red apples. For many of these seniors, this ritual is a nutritional lifeline.

Founded in 1982 by residents at the Mercy Retirement and Care Center, the Mercy Brown Bag Program is a nonprofit that distributes groceries to over 10,000 East Bay seniors every month.

Mary Roberts, a retired lawyer who volunteers each week at one of Mercy Brown Bag’s free grocery stores, shared that the interactions she has with recipients is one of her favorite parts of the job.

The program provides all or most of the groceries for 85% of their clients, said Roberts.

“This is th

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