STORIES
Orange County is known for wealth and abundance, yet too many people are at risk of hunger. Here are a few stories of our neighbors in need and how we are helping them.
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Five Expert Tips on Storing Vegetables
Did you know storing vegetables properly can extend their shelf life and help you save money? Read More -
Grand Opening of Golden West College’s New Permanent Pantry Location – The Stand
On September 19, one of our valued college pantry partners, Golden West College hosted the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for the new location of its Basic Needs Center, The Stand. Read More -
Helping Orange County’s Seniors: The Hidden Hunger Crisis Among OC’s Aging Population
As part of Hunger Action Month, for Senior Hunger Awareness Week (September 16-20), Second Harvest CEO Claudia Bonilla Keller sat down with partner organization Meals on Wheels OC’s President and CEO Holly Hagler. Read More -
Celebrating 10 Years of Mobile School Pantries
September marks a significant milestone—10 years since the generosity of donors led to the opening of the first Mobile School Pantry. What began in 2014 with just 12 pantries has expanded to 76 pantries across 14 cities in Orange County. Read More -
Second Harvest Participates in D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event
On August 11, Disney fans and VoluntEARS assembled 7,500 snack packs for families in need in Orange County. These will be distributed through Second Harvest's Partner Network, thanks to the generous support of Disney VoluntEARS! Read More -
Second Harvest Shining Bright in OC with Recent Awards
In June 2024, Second Harvest was the recipient of three different awards for our work in the Orange County community. Read More -
Park-It Market – An Innovative Solution to Senior Food Insecurity
Second Harvest is providing a solution to the ever-present existence of senior food insecurity by rolling right up to the doorstep at senior communities throughout Orange County to provide free, nutritious food through a pair of walk-up, refrigerated “Park-It Markets” (PIMs) housed in trailers that allows residents to socialize and mingle as they select the products of their choice. Read More -
Good Day LA, Second Harvest and Knife Pleat Partner Up on a Farm-To-Table Recipe
Michelin-star chef Tony Esnault of Knife Pleat was recently featured on Good Day LA cooking a delicious winter soup at Harvest Solutions Farm. Read More -
New Permanent Pantry: The Good Market/El Buen Mercado
In November 2023, Goodwill of Orange County and Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County celebrated the opening of The Good Market/El Buen Mercado, a permanent pantry at Goodwill’s Tierney Center for Veteran Services. Read More
THREE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN: 45 X 27
Food insecurity in Orange County continues to exceed pre-pandemic levels; in fact, creeping ever closer to the height of COVID-19. The rate of growth of food insecurity in our county outpaces the rate of growth of food insecurity in our state (2021 to 2022, according to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap).
New approaches are required to meet the need. Second Harvest Food Bank is embarking on a three-year strategic plan, committed to working towards an Orange County with food and nutritional security for all. We are calling this plan “45 x 27.” To learn more about the three-year strategic plan, click HERE.
NEWSLETTERS
Here are our quarterly newsletters where you’ll find the latest news about the Food Bank, the people you’ve helped us feed and more.
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Newsletters
ENDING POVERTY BY
FIRST ENDING HUNGER
As a connected community of 3.2 million people, we must open our eyes to the reality that hunger lives in the shadows of every city in Orange County. But because even the three largest anti-hunger/anti-poverty organizations can only do so much, we formed the Orange County Hunger Alliance that now leverages a unified approach to making a lasting impact.
Our unique alliance will tackle harmful systemic issues by increasing food distribution efficiencies, minimizing food waste and breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty. When we succeed in these efforts, Orange County will emerge stronger than ever before, ensuring a promising future for everyone in our county.
IN THE NEWS
Here’s where you’ll find links to impactful stories about our work feeding those in need in OC.
- Local colleges, and their mascots, get into the spirit of fighting hunger. (The Orange County Register) Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County helps keep college students fueled with food pantries at 18 campuses; on Wednesday, Sept. 25, volunteers from several of those programs united to help the nonprofit with its mission.
- Spotlight On the Community Fridge and Pantry Growing Its Own Produce. (Modern Farmer) Second Harvest Food Bank is providing freshly harvested produce to food-insecure residents of Orange County.
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County honored as 2024 Nonprofit of the Year. (The Daily Pilot) Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris recognized Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County as the 73rd Assembly District 2024 Nonprofit of the Year during a Harvest Solutions Farm volunteer event in Irvine on Saturday, June 15, 2024.
- Keeping children fed during summer break. (Spectrum News 1) As summer begins, the meals many students receive through school are no longer an option, creating a financial struggle for families who now have to add those meals to their grocery budgets.
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County focuses on providing for senior community. (ABC 7) Each year ABC7 helps our regional food banks address the food insecurity crisis in our local communities by hosting the Feed SoCal campaign. The ABC7 crew and Second Harvest were out at Norman P. Murray Community & Senior Center's weekly distribution last week.
Jill Wilson decided to volunteer with Second Harvest in 2008 when she was in between jobs and looking for a way to apply her talents that could benefit the community. She arrived one day at Second Harvest’s former distribution center in Orange, ready to serve, and felt immediately connected to the mission.
Like Jill and Ian, other friends of the food bank may be looking for ways to connect meaningfully with Second Harvest to help those experiencing hunger in Orange County for years to come. One simple way to make a significant impact, while achieving peace of mind, is by creating a will or revocable living trust with our partner, FreeWill.
March is National Nutrition Month, an annual awareness campaign that encourages us to learn about nutrition, develop healthy eating habits and discover the fun of being physically active. At Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, we strive to provide everyone in Orange County with the nutrition they need to grow and excel in life.
Last spring, here at Second Harvest we completely revamped our focus to proactively purchase fresh nutrition for those in need, ensuring a steady pipeline of protein, dairy, eggs, fruits and vegetables to our approximately 300 partner and program sites. As a next step, we recently unveiled our new, 6,200-square-foot cold storage facility and two additional cold docks that establish a “cold chain” at our distribution center in Irvine. This gives us a total of 14,550 square feet of cold storage, which greatly enhances our ability to source and distribute more nutritious food.
Second Harvest continues to fight increasing food insecurity through our Pop-Up Drive Thru food distributions with the help of many amazing volunteers and it is no surprise that many of them are mothers. Jacqueline is one such volunteer and I wanted to learn more of her story.
here to volunteer representing other mothers…to give back to the community, to be a role model to my children. As a mother, as a woman, as a friend, as a wife…you have so many hats you have to put on and one of them is giving. When I go home my daughter asks me, “Mom what did you do today?” And I say, “I got to give back to people, people that really don’t have as much as we do.” Hopefully she sees me doing this and then as she gets older, she’ll want to give back just the same way.”
Pantry. Their style traditionally has always been very welcoming and focused on building relationships with those they serve. They would put out coffee and pastries and spend time talking with the families who would come early just to socialize.
One of Nancy’s key volunteers, Mary Kaye, also shared insights. Mary Kaye is an emergency room doctor who has been spending much of her spare time serving at the Saint Timothy pantry. She began volunteering pre-COVID by taking blood pressures on pantry days and translating for Spanish-speaking clients.. All the changes have her missing conversations and connecting with the families they serve.
can take your blood pressure soon,” and encouraging them.”
Whatever the situation that keeps students on campus and struggling to feed themselves, the Fresh Basic Needs Hub at UCI remains open to serve them, supported by food from Second Harvest. Student hunger is a serious challenge, made even worse by the pandemic, but Fresh, as it’s called, has the mission to provide for the basic needs of UCI students, allowing them to focus on academics.
Last week did not feel hopeful. Seeing the injustice of the past few days makes me cringe. It causes me to grieve when I see people treated unfairly or worse. But I’m choosing to move forward with hope. How can I have hope this week? Because I know Andrea and I see how she treats people who sometimes feel trapped. The team at Fresh, and all the other college pantries in Orange County serve as a lifeline for their students, providing for basic needs and offering a dignified experience for everyone who comes to them for help. Their service is a beacon of hope in the darkness.
redirected those emotions toward survival and humility. While it was a very difficult decision, Stephen and Kristina decided that in order to make it through this crisis, they would need to receive assistance the first time in their lives. This is what it means to be newly vulnerable.