In the year 2018, the North Valley Caring Services outreach team encountered Lucy sleeping under a bridge in North Hills. Lucy and her mother had been homeless for several years. After several exchanges, Lucy finally agreed to attend our food pantry. She was amazed by the quality and amount of food that was available at no cost.

Lucy became a regular at our food pantry and we learned that she was a believer that attended church most of her adolescence. When her mother became homeless, Lucy joined her on the streets. She quickly got introduced to drugs and a criminal lifestyle. She had given up hope and God became an afterthought.

While working as a volunteer in our pantry, Lucy was able to provide food consistently for her mom as well as the others in her homeless camp. But more importantly, Lucy was able to connect once more with God through our pantry.

The love of God is regularly offered in the process of giving to others. She grew stronger in her faith and with the added help of support services, Lucy is now off the streets. She married a God-fearing man and they have welcomed their first baby boy named Isaac. It takes a village to run a food pantry; it takes God to bless that village.

It would be my absolute joy to give high-fives all around and celebrate the end of our campaign ‘Fighting Hunger – Feeding Hope’ because we could not find struggling families in need of food. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Families throughout our community continue to struggle to have sufficient food resources – be it a family, a veteran, a senior or an individual.

Our pantry network has done an incredible job distributing fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, deli, bakery goods and proteins. Each location has experienced continued growth and now with the holidays approaching, the need will only grow. We would enjoy sharing statistics but know very well the numbers are not just boring, but often times hard to place into a context. What we do know is that our friends, supporters, heroes to the Valley Food Bank have an interest to make a difference Fighting Hunger – Feeding Hope.

From pantry distributions, providing food for the local family shelters, and sharing food to be distributed to families placed in motels as temporary housing, the Valley Food Bank partners, with a host of other non-profits, ensure food rescued will be utilized and not tossed into the landfill.

It would be a pleasure to ‘high-five’ each one of our partners for a job well done—thank you for your generosity both financially and in volunteer labor. We could not do what we do without your encouragement and support. Thank you! ~ Submitted by Will Hernandez

Anne is a single mother that was living in a motel for more than two years. She worked hard to enroll her child into daycare, and was then able to secure a full-time job. Anne was able to work herself out of the motel and into her own apartment.

But being a one-income family, with new bills and expenses, Anne was struggling to budget for the necessities of living. North Valley Caring Services, a partnering pantry of the Valley Food Bank, was able to help provide food security through its Friday pantry distribution.

Anne was able to get healthy meal options for her and her son. She was so grateful for the help and support she received, so much so that she would later help a pregnant, trafficked woman off the streets. “After all the help I was given I just want to give back,” she said.

It is not always easy to get “excited” about doing evening outreach every week, especially when you have had a very long day. God is aware of this, and for that reason he occasionally offers us exchanges meant to encourage and to energize us. This is exactly what occurred to me last month while doing outreach. I recall being extremely tired and frustrated by the early day events that are associated with being a director of a grass roots organization. We loaded our vehicles with the food that we would be giving families who are homeless and living in motels. As soon as we finished praying, my thought was to simply remain in the background and to let others do the “heavy lifting.”

God had other plans. At the first of four motels, a woman named Ceci walked directly over to me and said that a few minutes before we arrived, she was praying that God would send her someone to help feed her kids. Ceci had run out of food stamps two days prior and had no way of feeding her children. Actually, Ceci had another option. She had done it in the past and she did not want to resort to it again. You see, Ceci has been housed on San Fernando Valley’s Sepulveda Boulevard where prostitution is still prevalent. Ceci’s prayer was a supplication that God might intervene and that she might not have to prostitute herself as she had done in the past.

As Ceci shared the graphic details of her situation, I could feel my heart wrenching. I assured her that as long as we were around, she would never have to prostitute herself ever again. As I was telling her about all of our programs, I could sense that God had used this woman to speak in to my life. It was meant to assure me that the work that we do is impactful and that when I am tired, he is able! In addition, more than anything, I should be mindful of this fact.

Ceci is now a regular at our food pantry where she receives food for her family. In getting to know Ceci, I have learned that she has an amazing voice and that she has been part of worship groups all of her life. It just so happens that there is another mom who I met who is a trained worship leader. Stay tuned… God is good!
~ Submitted by Manny Flores, executive director of North Valley Caring Services