Perspectives

For longtime East Oakland resident Deborah Starks, 68, community means everything.

Born in Arizona and a former UC Berkeley administrator, Deborah was never someone who expected to need help. But after a series of serious health challenges — including multiple surgeries, hospitalizations, and living with severe osteoarthritis — everything changed.

“It was really hard at first,” Deborah shared. “I wasn’t used to depending on anybody. But now I’m really appreciative and grateful — and I know how to ask for help.”

That help came from East Oakland Collective. Deborah first learned about EOC in 2019, when a neighbor received meals. At the time, mobility issues made it difficult for Deborah to get around. When the pandemic hit, and her health worsened, EOC became a lifeline. Deborah now collects groceries from EOC weekly.

“With SNAP cuts, the lines have gotten longer,” Deborah explained. “Even before food stamps were stopped, every year the lines just got longer and longer.”

Through EOC’s food distribution and Senior Coffee Hour, Deborah found more than nourishment — she found connection. “They are my friends — really, my family,” she says. “They call me, I call them, and they always make sure I have what I need.”

That care now reaches three generations of Deborah’s family, including her grandchildren — Nyron (10), Bryson (7), and Kiera (4) — who benefit from EOC’s school lunches, backpack giveaways, clothing support, and holiday programs.

After four years of repeated hospitalizations, Deborah says the consistency of EOC has mattered more than she can express. “They were a lifesaver. My whole life had to change — but EOC never changed. They were there for me. That’s the constant.”

O.B. doesn’t just work at East Oakland Collective (EOC) — he shows up for people.

For him, this work has never been “just a job.” It’s rooted in a deep sense of responsibility and connection to the people he serves. Before joining EOC, O.B. was a baker, drawn to the patience, discipline, and care it takes to make food that truly nourishes. He loved the quiet focus of baking — the smell of yeast, the way ingredients slowly come together, the moment when something finally works.

That care carried into his life long before he became EOC staff. O.B. was already cooking for unhoused neighbors in North and West Oakland, sharing food and conversation, meeting people where they were.

At EOC, O.B. works on the front lines of food insecurity every day. He sees neighbors who may look okay on the surface, but whose realities are far more complex. “You look at people and they might seem okay,” O.B. says. “But when they share their stories, it really wakes you up. It’s way deeper than what you see on the surface.”

For O.B., the work is about more than food. It’s about dignity. It’s about being present. “There’s a lot of moments where you’re more than just a person giving somebody a bag of groceries,” he explains. “You’re an ear. You’re a support system. You’re a friend.”

What keeps him going, even on the hardest days, are the people themselves. “The smiles, the energy — you can feel the gratitude with no words spoken,” he says. Seeing neighbors return — and bring others with them — reminds him that trust matters. That how people are treated matters.

What inspires O.B. about East Oakland Collective is the people behind the mission. “It’s not just an organization,” he says. “It’s a family. A collection of like-minded individuals who want the same thing.”

When Oakland native Cylus returned home from college, he felt disconnected from the city that raised him. The isolation of the pandemic deepened that distance. But as needs grew in East Oakland — families stretching groceries, elders skipping meals, unhoused neighbors gathering in encampments — he felt called to serve.

He found EOC through the City of Oakland’s volunteer listings — but what keeps him coming back to volunteer every week is that he found a community-rooted space where every person is fed and welcomed with dignity.

“I wanted to connect with people face to face,” he shared. “At EOC, I found volunteers and program leads who show up for everyone, no matter what.”

For more than two years, he has volunteered weekly — sorting produce, stocking shelves, handing out groceries, and getting to know the neighbors who rely on EOC.

He still remembers the moment that changed everything: his first Feed the Hood outreach. “Any worries disappeared within minutes. People were kind, grateful, relieved to be treated with dignity. It changed my whole understanding of community care.”

And when he talks about our staff — supported by your gifts — he says: “Even when resources are low, EOC finds a way to offer food, support, or simply a safe place.”