Stories that Inspire.
Victories to Celebrate.
Stay connected with all the good work the Rescue Mission Alliance Valley Food Bank is doing.
Anne leaves behind motel living, is able to provide for son
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…
Bruce finds new church family, starts bicycle ministry
Before coming to the food ministry at Leaves of Healing, Bruce would purchase his food from Dollar Tree, living off dollar dinners and frozen and canned foods. He is retired, lives alone and his income is his social security pension. Bruce’s neighbor Ron told him about the food ministry. Coming back to a church was…
Ceci Prayed For Help, And Then It Arrived
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…
Carolina And Her Baby Make Ends Meet After Help From Church, Food Bank
Carolina is a single mom of a beautiful baby daughter. She lives in Canoga Park and recently underwent a custody battle. She came to the House, A Church Family a few months back asking for some help with clothing and then came last month for food supplies. She was able to get a lot of…
Amparo And Her Family Grateful For Free, Healthful Foods
Meet Amparo. She, along with her husband Abraham, was a first-time participant of the House, A Church Family Food Pantry. The couple, along with 90 more families, received fruits, vegetables, bread, and more at the food distribution ministry of our church. We have been ministering in the Reseda community for more than six years now…
Disabilities Put A Financial Strain On Local Family
In speaking with Nate—a volunteer from the New Hope Church food pantry—Rafaela explains that, due to intellectual disabilities, both of her adult children have difficulty finding jobs. All three of them are unemployed. Life has been very hard for them as of late, and she and her children struggle to provide for both themselves and…
Local Family Honors Their Late Son With “I Got You” Day Of Giving
“Hi Will, you may not recall me, but I dropped off a donation to the Rescue Mission Alliance Valley Food Bank. I wanted to send you the attached picture of you and me and tell you a little about what we were doing that day. May 6th would have been my son Jason’s 27th birthday.…
Jessica Gets Help And Gives Help At The Food Bank
Jessica has a hard time getting out of bed in the morning, but she gives back to the Rescue Mission Alliance Valley Food Bank by volunteering on its busier days. Jessie, as family and friends call her, is a single mother who struggles with chronic back pain and severe depression, lives in a subsidized housing…
What Alisa Will Teach Her Kids: Good People Do Exist
At age 19, Alisa was a high school dropout and a mom to two children. She worked two minimum-wage jobs to keep her family afloat. “It felt impossible to get ahead,” Alisa said. “I knew this was no way to live, but what was I going to do?” she added. “I wanted a better future…
From the Director – July
Dear Friends, I recently celebrated my 15-year anniversary serving the Rescue Mission Alliance Valley Food Bank. I often reflect to the staff and groups taking tours how much has changed for the better since 2004—more trucks, a larger facility, expanded refrigeration, and increased community support through donations and volunteerism. It is truly stunning to think…
Giving Back After Getting Help
Rosie and her two daughters, Cady and Eryn, donated 182 pounds of dry goods, protein and produce last month. This was the second time in three months Rosie came to a pantry. The first time she came to receive food. Rosie found herself unemployed and out of food. With nowhere to go, she went to…
Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Another Shining Success
The National Letter Carriers’ Food Drive is held each year on the second Saturday in May, and this year’s event could not have come at a better time. With students out of school, our food needs increase greatly during the summer months. Without school-supported programs, our clients’ food budgets are stretched to the breaking point.…
