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🌱 Patch AM: What happens when Berkeley’s 56-year-old food pantry closes in January?

You won't want to miss A Community Christmas Eve Service! on the Berkeley Patch calendar

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Morning Berkeley! We've got the scoop on the latest happenings in town. Read on to get looped in. ☕️️

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Find out what's happening in Berkeleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

In today's newsletter:

  • What happens when Berkeley’s 56-year-old food pantry closes in January?
  • How UC Berkeley’s newest grads were challenged to change the world
  • How a Berkeley theology professor reshaped Scripture teaching over 40 years

Also on today's calendar: A Community Christmas Eve Service! and 9 more events.

Find out what's happening in Berkeleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: What did one magnet say to the other magnet? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Tuesday: Breezy with showers around, with a high of 60 and low of 51 degrees.
  • Wednesday: A morning shower, then rain, temps: high: 63, low: 53.
  • Thursday: Windy with occasional rain, with a high of 57 and low of 47 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Berkeley Food Pantry set to close after merger with Berkeley Food Network collapses (oaklandside.org) — Berkeley’s longtime Food Pantry at Berkeley Friends Church will shut down at the end of January 2026, ending a 56-year source of free groceries for local residents. After a merger with Berkeley Food Network fell through, church leaders cited capacity limits and rising demand, while volunteers scramble to find a new home so vulnerable Berkeley neighbors don’t lose critical food support.
   

2. At Winter Commencement 2025, graduates are urged to advocate for justice and ask world-changing questions (berkeley.edu) — UC Berkeley’s Winter Commencement at Haas Pavilion celebrated more than 1,000 graduates, with speakers urging them to champion justice, empathy, and relentless curiosity. Local readers will recognize campus leaders and alumni like Chancellor Rich Lyons and Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas, who framed Berkeley’s No. 1 public ranking as a call to shape a more equitable, questioning world.
   

3. Interview: Our new columnist Gina Hens-Piazza on 40 years of teaching Scripture (americamagazine.org) — Scripture scholar Gina Hens-Piazza, who teaches at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, reflects on four decades of teaching and how the field has shifted toward literary and feminist approaches. She describes increasingly international classrooms, immersive study trips abroad, and how her volunteer medical work and love of gardening shape the way she reads and teaches the Bible.
   

4. Brazilian director exposes military dictatorship's dark heart (eastbayexpress.com) — If you’re looking for a thought-provoking film in town, “The Secret Agent” is now playing at Rialto Cinemas Elmwood in Berkeley as well as AMC Bay Street 16 in Emeryville. The movie explores Brazil’s 1970s military dictatorship through a tense, politically charged thriller, contrasted with an American film about contemporary class and race anxieties.
   

5. Remembering Barbara Lubin, longtime champion of Palestinian human rights (berkeleyside.org) — Berkeley residents are remembering longtime activist Barbara Lubin, who died Dec. 13 in the city after decades of work on disability rights, rent control, and Palestinian human rights. Her advocacy reshaped Berkeley schools and commercial rent rules, inspired a City Council–declared “Barbara Lubin Day,” and helped launch the Middle East Children’s Alliance, which brought aid and solidarity from Berkeley to communities across the Middle East.
   

📸 Around Berkeley

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Update: Pet Reunited
    A dog who went missing in Kensington, CA, has been safely reunited with their family after 7 days, 10 hours. Message from Finder: "This friendly guy… (Nextdoor Claremont Hills)
  • Seeking advice!
    Our community always comes through when I've asked your advice. I'm watching coverage of the massive SF power failure, and it reminded me that I have… (Nextdoor South Berkeley)
  • Gpac posted a job opening for Accounting Manager, Transportation in Berkeley. Apply here.
  • Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. posted a job opening for Crew Member in Berkeley. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Berkeley here.

Ok Berkeley! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I find you very attractive!
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