History
In 1983, the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County began its work in an 8,000 square-foot former citrus packing plant in the City of Orange. Over the years, expansion continued within that location until we occupied the entire 53,000 sq. ft. of available space. It was difficult at best to do our work as operations were divided into four buildings, each with structural limitations, on that site.
In 1995 we knew that we would not be able to continue the necessary growth of the organization and meet the growing need for our services within the confinements of that facility. Through the McKinney act, which permits the use of closed military base property for poverty relief work, we set out to secure a warehouse on one of the bases that were closing in either Tustin or El Toro. Twelve years later, after a long approval process and a successful capital campaign, we were able to a retrofit a warehouse on the former Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro in Irvine.
Our New Facility in Irvine, CA
On November 5, 2007, Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County opened its doors at 8014 Marine Way, Irvine - a 121,000 sq. ft. facility designed to be used for food distribution. Included in the design are 4,550 sq. ft. each of cold and frozen storage space, an isolated product inspection room, and 16,000 sq. ft. of office space. With the improved facility and increased operating space, we are now in a position to further our efforts towards ending hunger in Orange County.
Want to see the Food Bank in action? We'd love to have you join us for a tour.