The Rotary Club of Greater San Fernando Valley’s signature local project was the One More Item food drive. Club Members, with the kind permission of Gelson’s in Sherman Oaks (and at Gelson’s in Valley Village during the Sherman Oaks store renovations), asked shoppers on the way in to add just “one more item” to their shopping baskets or carts and drop the item off on the way out for the Valley Food Bank.

Over the past five years, through 18 events from July 2012 (the first service project in all of Rotary International District 5280) to March 2017, the Club has gathered and donated 17,937 pounds of non-perishable food. Kudos to our Rotary friends for all their dedication and hard work over the years!

Debbie is a Christian who believes in living out the Gospel on a daily basis. Despite the fact she has financial struggles herself, Debbie spends her free time volunteering and helping others in need. It was during her time volunteering that she received a flyer informing her of a new ministry coming to town, the Elevate Church Food Distribution. She was intrigued and excited, as she had been praying for provision for her own family’s food needs.

When she arrived at the distribution, Debbie was impressed by how well it was run. She was also blown away by the abundance and quality of food available to the recipients. When asked what this ministry meant to her, she didn’t spare any words. She was quick to give thanks to God, realizing that He was the ultimate provider of her answered prayers. But she also acknowledged the hard work of everyone from the Valley Food Bank and its supporters that makes it possible for her to eat every month. The money she saved because of the food she received from the pantry helped her to pay her other basic bills. Debbie noted that she has seen God’s hand upon the community and that people have been better off since receiving the food. And, with thanksgiving, Debbie will continue to spend her days paying forward all that God has done for her.

One definition of grace is, “the condition or fact of being favored by someone.” We think of grace when we think of the pantry as a church family. To be given grace to share grace-to be given to freely in order to be free to give is a wonder filled experience.

It was a huge blessing to have Carlos and his family with us at the pantry this month. Both Carlos and Blanca have been struggling with consistent work. And, in Carlos’ case, though he has many talents and gifts, he has been out of work for five months now. We were able to provide them with needed food and got the chance to invite the children to Vacation Bible School. The pantry staff looks forward to serving them again, with grace. – submitted by one of our partner pantries, The House – a Church Family, Reseda

Westfield Century City will be the home to the West Coast’s first Eataly. It’s destined to be L.A.’s most “social food destination” with communal seating, fresh food counters, cafes, classes, and events all focused on the rigorous preservation and application of classic Italian recipes and cooking techniques. Eataly joins 40 plus restaurants serving the Westside in the new shopping environment with ease to navigate, making it both walkable and relaxing.

Soon after the Grand Re-opening activities at Westfield Century City, refrigeration and freezer storage units will be added to accommodate food donations from all the Westfield restaurants These donations will be shared with the Valley Food Bank and used in local missions to feed the needy and their sheltered guests. Louis Schillace, Sr. General Manager was quoted as saying, “We will make this happen! Westfield is committed to being more than just property managers.” Westfield family of retailers is excited to partner in doing outreach to the community.

We commend our community partners in helping meet the needs of our hungry neighbors.

Manny states, “The Valley Food Bank has changed the lives of many of the people in our community. Money that was once spent on food can now be allocated to other household needs. The demographic that has been the most affected has been that of our homeless friends. They have witnessed the quantity and quality of food designated to their programs dramatically increase.”

He continues, “Prior to collaborating with the Valley Food Bank, North Valley Caring Services (NVCS) counted almost exclusively on a yearly post office donation of 20,000 pounds of dry goods that were expected to last an entire year. As wonderful as this donation is, NVCS could only ration out 80 grocery bags of food a month to 40 ESL (English as a second language) students. Now, because of the partnership with the Valley Food Bank, NVCS dispenses an average 20,000 pounds of food each week! That means, each week, about 200 families receive fresh produce, dairy products, meats, eggs, dry goods, and cereal. Routinely, I call on the Valley Food Bank to support a program or event and, dependably, the answer is “yes, why not.”

“I am a former gang member as well as an ex-convict who served 20 years in California’s toughest prisons. It took 10 years into my sentence for God to call me back to the fold. A series of debilitating circumstances brought me to my knees and caused me to submit my life to Him entirely. No longer would I squander God’s grace and mercy! Instead, my response to this overwhelming demonstration of love was a vow to serve God, as He would allow me. When I was paroled in 2013, with college and seminary preparation, I thought I could easily land a job in ministry or social services. Unfortunately, my criminal record was too extensive for most to overlook. That is, except for the Executive Director at NVCS who hired me as their Community Liaison. He saw potential and was willing to take a chance on me,” Manny testifies.

“North Valley is a community service center in one of the San Fernando Valley’s most impoverished and violent communities. The goal is to improve a quality of life for those who live in this neighborhood. They provide free services such as ESL classes with free childcare, as well as an afterschool program. The breakfast program feeds and provides showers to hundreds individuals each month.”

“The food is not the end of this story. Because of the generous donations of Valley Food Bank and all of their contributors, we get the opportunity to reach out to people, get to know them, and minister to their spiritual needs. I am blessed to work with the Valley Food Bank and at NVCS where God’s grace and mercy can be seen on display on a daily basis.” ~ Manny Flores