‘Tis the season with much happening in our city. Having just celebrated Thanksgiving with a great sigh of relief and reflecting on the many blessings we each enjoy, is a great way to usher in the New Year. Humberto Barba, our Warehouse Manager, recalls a phone call he received from a very sweet 93-year-old woman called Ruby. A resident of Pacoima, she had called to see if she qualified for our food pantry. Humberto was horrified: “At 93 years, the last thing you should have to be worrying about is whether you have enough to eat!” The good news is, she did qualify since our pantries are self-certifying. But we suspect Humberto would have found some way of helping her anyway.

Calls and inquiries regarding eligibility from individuals seeking assistance are commonplace at the Food Bank – terms like food insecurity just do not tell the story. Every week we see new faces with hope and anticipation that they can get some assistance and not have to go another day without food – parents with young children and seniors are the heart breakers for sure.

We want to finish the year strong so we can enter 2020 in a good place to not just continue Fighting Hunger and Feeding Hope, but also improve and enhance our outreach to the community.

Thank you for all your help and support! From all of us (Humberto, Allan, and Will) we wish you a very Merry Christmas and trust 2020 will be a joy-filled year with good health and happiness.