Matt Orsua is in the checkout line of a one-of-a-kind market in Santa Barbara. His shopping cart is full of food.
"Basic stuff, canned goods, fruit, vegetables, meat, everything you can get at a grocery store," said Orsua.
While a clerk is running the items through a scanner, there’s no bill at the end of the checkout process.
We’re at Santa Barbara's Unity Shoppe, where people in need can get food and other essentials for free.
"I ended up on disability, and I didn't have enough to make ends meet. Cal Fresh wasn't cutting it. My friend told me about it. I signed up, and I've been coming here off and on," said Orsua, who lives in Carpinteria. He said what he gets from the Unity Shoppe store is critical, as he struggles to balance rent and other essentials with food.
The Santa Barbara-based nonprofit reports that, with the rising costs of housing and food, and cuts in federal aid, they are seeing more demand for help than ever.
"We had 46,000 clients come through the door last year. I was projecting we were going to make it to 52,000 (this year), but already, we're not halfway done with December, and we're already past that number."
Angela Miller-Bevans is Executive Director and CEO of the Unity Shoppe. She said the key to what they do is allowing clients to come to the stores in Santa Barbara and Lompoc, where they can pick out what they need and use.
"People should be treated with dignity and respect and choice," said Miller-Bevans. "That means they get to choose what they need, and they have the dignity of picking it out, and we respect that they are in need of these items. They get to choose groceries just like a grocery store."
"We help people from so many different situations," said Ellie Ulloa, who works with some of the people shopping in the store. She’s the Client Services Manager. "They can have full-time jobs, and it's still not enough. They could have just had surgery, or they are between housing. It's not just one sector. And, it's really important to realize it's not people coming for free handouts."
Hundreds of nonprofits refer people to the Unity Shoppe, which verifies their needs to ensure that limited resources reach those who need them.
The program started as a holiday aid program in 1917. But, in the 1970s, it evolved into the Unity Shoppe program, with the store concept.
It has also expanded over the years to offer additional services, ranging from aid for seniors and a Job Smart program to help individuals prepare for jobs to back-to-school programs with resources for children. But food remains at the center of what they provide for those in need.
Miller-Bevans said she understands the critical role they play in the community.
"My mom was a single mom. I was from a low-income family. It means the world to me to pay it forward. I have the greatest team, and I love what I do."
The store is open this week, and on Friday night, it also hosts its biggest event of the year. KEYT-TV will broadcast live from the store from 5 to 8 p.m., as part of its nearly 40-year-old Unity Shoppe Telethon. It features performances by Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, and country superstar Brad Paisley.
Back in the store, the Unity Shoppe’s Cole Beatte is standing near the checkout counter. He said they work hard to maintain the dignity of the clients.
"When it comes to scanning the items, that's important to us, because we want to make families feel like they are shopping in a grocery store," said Beatte. "Not only does scanning the items help us with inventory purposes, it gives them (the clients) the dignity of shopping in a store."
As Matt Orsua prepares to leave the store, he said he’s grateful for the help. As he struggles to pay bills like rent, he said the food he’s getting is the difference between eating and going hungry.
"Definitely, definitely," said Orsua.
