Every Thursday, a long line forms outside the Pico Union Project — the city’s oldest synagogue building — where residents pick up fresh fruits and vegetables at a free, farmers market-style event called Vida Sana.
Pico Union Project began in 2013, when musician Craig Taubman and his wife, Louise, purchased the historic building. For more than a decade, the organization has distributed food to people in the community.
But these days, the event looks a little different — and feels even more urgent, said Jackie Barrios, the nonprofit’s chief operating officer, who joined in May.
“I came in during the time when ICE began to be more active in the community, unfortunately,” Barrios said. “We did see a dip in attendance in those weeks. But in recent weeks and months, we’ve seen an increase.”
The raids forced the group to rethink how to keep residents safe. Barrios said she added security guards around the property to monitor for ICE activity and partnered with local rapid response networks to stay informed about any enforcement nearby.
“There’s a lot of concern. [Some] of the feedback that we got from the community is that they are willing to risk their safety to get access to resources,” Barrios said. “You could see that even with the challenges that we are facing, our community is so resilient, and they are willing to put themselves at risk to some degree to keep providing for their families.”
The organization distributes more than 40,000 pounds of fresh produce each month, which Barrios said feeds about 5,000 residents. Families typically receive about $80 worth of groceries per week, including meat, bread, milk and pantry staples.
Barrios said the groceries available at Vida Sana are especially important right now, as SNAP benefits — which millions of Californians rely on — have been delayed because of the federal government shutdown.
“Our community is the one that’s suffering the most … they depend on those resources,” she said, “and our mission is also to fill that gap.”
On a recent distribution day — as CalFresh food assistance remained on hold due to the federal shutdown — people started lining up hours before the event officially began.
“The purpose of Vida Sana is to encourage healthy eating in our community,” Barrios said, “and create a space where people feel safe to come to.”
