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2026 From The Press Vol. 28, No. 1
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January 2, 2026
The Delta Christian Community Food Pantry copes with fewer supplies $10,000 in donations helps keep them hopeful for the future
The annual Free Market is held at the New Covenant Church in Bethel Island.
By Taylor Shepherd Correspondent
Operating in its first year in October 2010 and serving just 20 families with weekly bread, The Delta Christian Community Food Pantry has since grown to serve hundreds of people with a variety of goods. But officials there said they have received fewer supplies recently. The food pantry, however, received larger-than-normal donations in the past weeks. “It was Christmas time, we get donations,” said Jenny Rodrigues, co-coordinator and co-founder of The Delta Christian Community Food Pantry, a service that delivers
Photo by Poul Kisling
So Rodrigues hopes they continue to provide food for the food pantry. It was because someone donated $5,000, and then the pantry had others that totaled $10,000 in one day, she said. Rodrigues said she was excited about the anonymous donations. “It really helps us make it, especially when we have to buy
food in their box truck to three locations instead of from one single location. “We just happened to go to talk to the bookkeeper in the morning and she had said we’ve already got $10,000,” she said recently, adding that they don’t get as much from the federal program Temporary Emergency Food Program (TEFAP).
food,” she said. “This year (in 2025), chicken cost us approximately $10 a piece and we had to buy it. We bought about 250 chickens and it came out to be $2,600. It was such a shock because it was never like that before. They used to cost us $4 a piece.” The food bank started between the St. Anne Catholic Church, Delta Community Presbyterian Church, and the Byron United Methodist Church. “That was it,” Rodrigues said. She said at first it was just about getting donations and the group would give food away at the Byron United Methodist Church. “We thought it would be something that would last two to three years because it was kind of a bad economy right then,” she said. “We just saw everyone get food and go away.” Rodrigues said the food pantry serves about 500 people in 300 families today. see Food page 19
These were our most-read stories of 2025 By Jake Menez
Hikmah Co-Op Islamic School, with just 100 students operating from portable classrooms in Brentwood, won first place at the Bay Area Regional Science Olympiad at the College of San Mateo in March.
Staff Writer
Press file photo
located at 6471 Lone Tree Way directly next to Wing Stop, is called Pho You and is expected to be open seven days a week from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. The written description
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for the restaurant, as presented to the Planning Commission, says that it will serve “a diverse menu with comfort food and familiar classics.” To read the full story, visit
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A lot happened around East County in 2025, from business openings and high school sports to City Council meetings and breaking news stories. These were the local stories that readers engaged with the most each month of the year, based on pageviews on our website. To read all of these stories in their entirety and more, visit www.thepress.net. January - Brentwood planners approve pho restaurant The Brentwood Planning Commission voted 5-0 at their Jan. 21 to approve a new pho restaurant on Lone Tree Way just south of the Antioch border. The new restaurant, to be
https://bit.ly/4964RIo February - Off The Chart has grand opening in Antioch City of Antioch and the Rivertown merchants, along with friends and family, celebrated the grand opening of the new Off The Chart dispensary on Friday Jan. 31 downtown at 300 G St. The new marijuana dispensary celebrated with music, food, and vendors offering specials. To read the full story, visit https://bit.ly/4q6SrYm March - ‘Dedication, teamwork, and love for learning’ Hikmah Co-Op Islamic School, with just 100 students operating from portable classrooms in Brentwood, won first place at the Bay Area Regional Science Olympiad (Division B) at the College of San Mateo on Saturday, March 8.
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The victory represents more than academic achievement, according to Hikmah School Principal Saadah Galadanci. To read the full story, visit https://bit.ly/4q07VgD April - One shot in armed robbery on Sand Creek Road A woman was reportedly shot during an armed robbery on Sand Creek Road on April 4. According to Brentwood police, officers responded to the parking lot on the 200 block of Sand Creek Road shortly after 1 p.m. for reports of shots fired. When officers arrived, they determined that an armed robbery took place with multiple shots coming from two separate firearms. They also determined that those involved fled the scene in a pair of see Stories page 19
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