Folks with limited or reduced incomes to turn to food banks and soup kitchens to help get them through tough times. That's what they are for.

But volunteers and administrators at centers around Oakland say that more people are showing up for assistance now than ever before...

According to a November 2009 USDA report, as the recession escalated in 2008, 16.7 million households (14.6% of all US households) were "food-insecure." This means at some point during that year, those households were unable to provide enough food for their members.

The overall number of households facing food shortages jumped 11% in 2008, an increase of 13 million households. This was the highest level of food insecurity recorded since such statistics were first compiled in 1995.

Read more about hunger in Oakland. And see our map.