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Meet Rachel Parris: Director of Sourcing at Second Harvest
Meet Rachel Parris, our Director of Sourcing at Second Harvest! Here she shares her insights on food sourcing, nutrition and collaboration. Read More -
Farm-Fresh Recipe: Cauliflower Soup
Check out this Cauliflower Soup recipe from Knife Pleat's Chef Tony Esnault! This dish is easy to prepare and full of flavor, and is perfect for cozy nights or casual winter meals. Read More -
Meet Jane Van Dyke: Our Director of Human Resources is Retiring
Meet Jane Van Dyke, our Director of Human Resources who is retiring from Second Harvest after 16 years. Read more about her journey! Read More -
Meet Crystal Tosello: Director of Annual Campaign at Second Harvest
Meet Crystal Tosello, Director of Annual Campaign at Second Harvest. With over a decade of nonprofit experience, she builds partnerships that help provide nutritious food for families across Orange County. Read More -
Caramelized Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe
Warm up your kitchen and your heart this season with our Caramelized Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe — simple, nourishing and made with local fall produce. Read More -
Meet Ellie Dinh: Director of Programs and Services at Second Harvest
Meet Ellie Dinh, Director of Programs and Services at Second Harvest. Learn about her journey, leadership style and passion for feeding OC! Read More -
Strawberry Semifreddo Recipe from Knife Pleat!
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 -
Meet Toyah Brooks: Director of Operations at Second Harvest
Meet Toyah Brooks, our Director of Operations at Second Harvest Food Bank! From overseeing operations to supporting our team, she works every day to help feed Orange County with care and dedication. Read More -
Meet Wayne Stickney: CDO of Second Harvest Food Bank
Meet Wayne Stickney, our Chief Development Officer. In this leadership spotlight, Wayne shares what inspires him, why he believes in feeding the line today, and how his love for learning and team spirit shape his work at Second Harvest. Read More
Meet Rachel Parris: Director of Sourcing at Second Harvest
Meet Rachel Parris: Director of Sourcing at Second Harvest
What’s your role at Second Harvest, and how long have you been with SHFB?
My name is Rachel Parris, and I am the Director of Sourcing at Second Harvest. I’ve been with the Food Bank since May of 2024.
I’ve been working in food recovery and food insecurity for almost 10 years now. Before officially joining Second Harvest, I worked closely with the organization through my previous role at Abound Food Care (formerly Waste Not OC), which is a longtime partner of the Food Bank and part of the Orange County Hunger Alliance. I was lucky enough to join the Second Harvest team about a year and a half ago as the Sourcing Manager, and I moved into the Director of Sourcing position last July.
My journey into this work started in college. I studied psychology and worked as a waitress, so I learned a lot about food service. Through studying psychology, I realized I wanted to do something that helped people. I ended up getting an internship with the YMCA, where I learned about nonprofit work. These experiences really opened my eyes to the opportunity to combine food systems, nonprofit work, and community impact.
Through my previous roles, I collaborated closely with Second Harvest and always admired the impact they were making. When the opportunity came up to join the team, I jumped at it.
What’s something people might not know about your job or about Second Harvest?
I think people are often surprised by how much more there is to the Sourcing Department of the Food Bank. Many just think of food donations or food drives, and it’s a lot more than that.
At Second Harvest, we source food in five different ways.
- Purchasing nutritious food in bulk
- Acquiring large-volume donations from major food manufacturers and distributors
- Rescuing food donations collected from grocery stores
- Receiving assistance from federal and local government programs
- Growing our own produce at Harvest Solutions Farm (our partnership with UC South Coast REC and Solutions for Urban Agriculture) and Founders Farm.
Within each of these five ways, there are multiple programs and a lot of coordination involved.
The Sourcing Department is very collaborative by nature. We work closely with the Programs & Services and Operations departments. The Programs & Services team helps inform what food we should be bringing in based on community feedback. The Operations team tells us what our capacity is. And then it’s our job to execute.
There’s also a lot of strategies involved. We’re not just taking in all the food we can. We’re really focused on nutrition and quality, and making sure the food we bring into the network supports dignified and consistent access to the community. That all starts with what we source.
What is the most valuable piece of advice that you’ve learned?
Someone once told me that discomfort usually means you’re learning something valuable.
If you’re uncomfortable or feel like you don’t have everything figured out, it probably means you’re learning. I try to embrace discomfort and lean into it, and that’s helped me grow both professionally and personally, especially when it comes to receiving feedback.
What does “feeding OC” mean to you?
I once heard something from one of our partners that really stuck with me — there’s a difference between availability and access. Just because food is available doesn’t mean everyone has access to it.
Feeding OC isn’t just about getting food into the network. There are many steps beyond that. We’re one piece of a much larger puzzle and feeding Orange County really requires collaboration across everyone working in this space.
Second Harvest does an incredible job of being collaborative with so many partners throughout Orange County. We make a massive impact, but it truly is a group effort, and we work hard to be an essential piece of that larger puzzle.
What do you love most about working at Second Harvest?
I love how open everyone is to teaching and learning. It’s very collaborative, and it truly feels like a team. If you have a question or there is something you’re curious about, most of the time doors are open and conversations are encouraged.
I also love the impact we’re able to make, and in my role, I get to actually see that impact. I can walk through our Distribution Center and see the food that’s going into the community, and that really reinforces the difference we’re making.
The culture at Second Harvest and the impact we have on Orange County are amazing.
What does “nutritional security” mean to you?
Nutritional security is a deep question.
To me, it’s more than just having food. It’s having the ability to understand where your food is coming from and not being in a constant state of worry about whether you’ll have access to it. It’s being able to focus on nutrition, not just hunger.
There’s a difference between hunger and nutritional security. Nutritional security affects so many aspects of a person’s life, and I really see it as the foundation to health and happiness.
What has been your favorite memory from working at Second Harvest?
I love the sourcing events we do, like large convention center recoveries where staff and volunteers come together, sometimes late at night, to recover food. Those experiences really bring the team together, and I have a lot of fond memories from coordinating and participating in them.
I also really enjoy strategy sessions with the leadership team — setting goals, figuring out how to accomplish them and getting creative together. Those brainstorming, nitty-gritty work sessions are some of my favorites.
How can the community support Second Harvest?
There are many ways to support Second Harvest. Raising awareness is a big one — talking about food donation, asking local grocery stores or businesses what they do with excess food and whether they’ve heard of Second Harvest.
Financial contributions make a huge impact and help us operate at the scale needed to support the community.
When it comes to individual food donations, we encourage people to connect directly with grocery rescue pantries that are best suited to receive smaller-scale donations, as Second Harvest does not accept food donations from individuals for food safety reasons. This helps support our Partner Network and ensures food is distributed efficiently. A list of these pantries can be found on our website: www.feedoc.org/donation-location.
Even just talking about food donation and why it matters can make a difference. Businesses listen to their customers, and those conversations matter.
What part of your role as Director of Sourcing is the most rewarding?
The impact is the most rewarding part.
This year, our goal is to distribute 42 million pounds of food, with the majority being produce and nutritious items. We’ve made a specific push to increase the amount of fresh food we’re distributing.
Being part of the puzzle and helping figure out how we go from 42 million pounds to potentially even more in the future is incredibly rewarding. Every decision we make connects back to our mission and to how we can better support our community.
What’s one thing you hope people better understand about your role or about the Sourcing Department at Second Harvest?
I hope people understand that many of the decisions we make in Sourcing are based on community feedback.
We really listen to what our partners and the community need, and that directly informs how we source food. Listening is a huge part of our work.
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.