Emeryville Citizens Assistance Program - ECAP - Oakland, California

Lynne Magruder

Orina is so sweet she got water for me and my service dog, even though it is a genocide against nubian people in oakland, kindness still exists, thank you Orrina. Peace be unto you.

Michelle Rousey

Yesterday in pouring rain I was yelled at by I'm thinking is the person in charge. No Dogs! My dog is a service dog. I explain this to her. I think this is the third time I've attempted to explain it to her. I was told I need to leave my dog at home if I wanted to get food from them. Get a babysitter. It's a service dog! She's allowed to be with me. She's a medical alert service dog. I'm a power wheelchair user and have multiple medical issues. I always have the dog on my lap. I almost couldn't get in because they had a tarp with poles outside protecting the bread container from the rain. Barely getting in and being yelled at again! I don't go much and normally don't have an issue unless she's there. If I were blind she wouldn't be yelling at me?. I can normally get enough food from them. And a good variety of fruits etc. I got potatoes, canned fruit, bagels and two cans of tomatoes. But what I really needed was the prepared food. I left because she was harassing me. I just can't deal with her. Boss lady needs to learn the laws.. I know not to touch things and allow them to put in my bags. But they had barely any staff yesterday. So made things weird. I also don't get mad. Just have a lot of patience with her. But I don't have to. If she doesn't want me around then she needs to find me another way to get my food. And me leaving my dog at home isn't going to happen. Only reason I'm going out is because of the dog. Basically they want me to send someone else to get the food. I can't afford to pay someone to go do this for me.

Renee Ramcharitar

I love this place. There were times that I needed to supplement my grocery budget and I was greeted kindly. This organization serves everyone. I am humbled and grateful!

elsa tsehai

Beware!! There needs to be COPS WATCHING! If your a woman standing in line waiting, there are black males who will keep harassing you, trying to push their luck & will proceed to touch you & become more inappropriate & bold! Yuck! It is in a sketchy area, w/these sketchy types of guys, but I’d think they’d have some decency towards women at a food bank?! Also, the staff kept taking food for themselves, the big Latino male kept putting food aside for himself & picking what he wanted before giving it to the clients, I went on the 17th this month, there was a short black lady w/a walker who even asked the Latino guy first if he wanted fried rice in the foil pan too. There’s a tall black lady who’s so RUDE, just yelling & giving a nasty attitude to everyone!

Bruce Roland

The line can be long but the service is still good if you've got the time to wait. Make sure to bring your own bags and a home grocery cart if you can to make it easier to get the free groceries they give. Hope this was helpful.

Elsa Tsehai

I went this Monday & asked 1 of the black ladies if they had meat that day, says no. But a little while later when a hispanic lady just walked up & gives me weird stares, a heavyset black guy w/glasses suddenly comes says, "oh, here's some meat." & takes out chicken from under the table where the bkack lady was standing previously & gives it to the Hispanic lady she gives me another weird look. Um, ok. A guy on 26th st says location was shut down by the Health Inpector, i guess either it's against the law they're not supposed to give out their expired perishables & leave it out in the Sun all day or they had some rodent problem maybe? They're temporarily at 32nd & san Pablo at the church 2 blocks to the left until maybe next Monday? There was a weird black lady & boyfriend in the passenger side of her car both kept yelling something out. It's always a weird encounters with this places?

Nico Far

The address on the website is invorrect but this google map address is accurate.
Its great that they support the community with food.
Most of the food though you have to use right away bec theyre almost going bad.

Tomodachi Blue

It is a very unsafe spot for females to go alone to get free food. Many of the ignorant males that come wait in line don’t know how to keep to themselves. If you want to be harassed for over an hour while the line doesn’t move, then this is the place to be.

Many folks also cut into the line from across the street. This should be deemed unsafe as pedestrians should be lined up to the left sidewalk nearby where the free food event is being held.

I noticed the volunteers or ECAP workers don’t do much to direct traffic or to have hand out bags ready to go. It would be 60% more efficient to have boxes or bags prepared regardless of these people’s personal preferences.

For those of us who have fallen on hard times, we are grouped in with people with little moral value and will have to deal with the insanity that goes on in the lines here.

For Christ’s sake give everyone a number and crowd control! I will be writing to my local assembly person about this dire situation and hope that some funding for security comes there way. This is an extremely hostile environment.