Photo Courtesy of St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church

The food pantry at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church

Under pressure from the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington, D.C., the United Way of the Bay Area has made public the names of those who serve on a San Francisco board that recently decided that impoverished local families could soon need to prove they are poor to receive free groceries at food pantries.

The decision set off a wave of criticism and was the focus of a column in The Bay Citizen on Friday.

"FEMA is committed to ensuring that the programs we work with operate transparently, efficiently and in the best interests of the people they are intended to serve," said FEMA spokesperson Rachel Racusen in a written statement.

Despite a request by The Bay Citizen, the United Way of the Bay Area did not release the names of the local board members who made the controversial decision. The board oversees the distribution of FEMA money – federal tax dollars – that partially funds groceries at local food pantries.

The board recently decided to change existing rules and exert more control over FEMA funding for pantries. The local director of the program said the move was aimed at making sure food only went to those truly in need, citing concerns about fraud.

But local pantry operators say fraud is not a problem, pointing out that families wait in long lines for a bag of food – something they are unlikely to do if not in need.

Pantry operators also noted the practical problems with asking people to prove they are poor. There are also concerns that prying about income verification could run afoul of the city's sanctuary laws that prevent inquiries involving immigration status for city-funded services. (Some food banks and pantries also receive city support.)

On Friday afternoon – seven days after the initial request for board members' names and following an inquiry to FEMA headquarters about whether such information related to taxpayer money was supposed to be secret – Laura Escobar of the United Way of the Bay Area made public a list of board members. They are:

Cindy Ward, Human Services Agency, City of San Francisco

Tere Brown, Catholic Charities

Aaron Litwin, American Red Cross

Abby Kovalsky, Jewish Family & Children's Svcs.

Maritza Villagomez, United Way of the Bay Area

Lois Peacock, Interfaith Council of SF

Claire Dunmore, The Salvation Army

David Talerico, Swords to Plowshares

Omitted from the list was Anne Quaintance of Meals on Wheels, who recently resigned from the United Way board. She confirmed her resignation, but would not respond when asked if she quit over this controversy.

When the United Way's Escobar provided the list of board members' names, she said, it "was never my intention not to be transparent." She said she had heard that The Bay Citizen had been successful at locating some board members through sources and she concluded the agency's information was not needed.

It is true that some board members were reached independently and asked about the controversy, but each declined to be interviewed, saying Escobar had instructed them to not to speak to the press.

Pantry operators said that following Friday's report they received an e-mail from Escobar that appeared to be "backpedaling" from the idea of requiring proof of poverty. But the United Way has not retreated from plans to exert more control over pantries, and Escobar said she would personally inspect each pantry in the weeks ahead. The e-mail did not say what criteria would be used to determine if a pantry would continue to receive FEMA funds.

When asked recently if it was possible that pantries could receive no funding following her inspections, Escobar said, "It is conceivably true of every applicant every year."