Struggling Central Valley Residents Line Up for Groceries Amid California’s Cost-of-Living Crisis

California boasts the world’s fourth-largest economy and the nation’s highest poverty rates. Its middle class hangs in the balance.

Vicente, who had been waiting in line since the night before, waits to enter the Fresno Mission for food in Fresno, Calif., on Oct. 1, 2025. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

FRESNO, Calif.—Vicente, a man in his early 70s, arrived at the Fresno Mission at 11 p.m. on a Tuesday. By 7 a.m. on Wednesday, he was the first in a long line that snaked through the parking lot, onto the sidewalk, and around the block.

Like superfans camping out for concert tickets, people brought their folding chairs and huddled under blankets, sometimes for more than 12 hours. But they were not there for a show; they were lining up for a market at which they could get about $250 of groceries free of charge.