Hunger affects residents of all ages everywhere in Orange County. Hungry kids lack the energy and focus to do well in school. Hungry adults struggle to perform at work. Consistent access to nutritious food helps fuel focus, productivity and well-being so everyone can thrive. In fiscal year 2024 we:
DISTRIBUTED 35,781,426
POUNDS OF FOOD
FEEDING 442,154
INDIVIDUALS PER MONTH
THROUGH 394
OC PARTNER DISTRIBUTION SITES
WHO HUNGER HURTS THE MOST
Children
At least one in eight children in our community is at risk of hunger, according to the latest data from Feeding America. When school is out, more kids go to bed hungry.
Seniors
According to the latest data from Feeding America, in California 668,000 senior citizens are food insecure. As they struggle to stretch their fixed incomes, the rising cost of living means many simply can’t afford necessities and are forced to choose between food, rent and medications.
Working Families
Low-income families and individuals are often one paycheck away from hunger. With sky-high rents and an ever-increasing cost of living, it can be impossible to make ends meet. Despite working long hours, these men and women still can’t afford food, rent and other basic necessities. Single mothers are especially vulnerable because many lack the support and resources to manage work and the needs of their children.
HOW WE HELP
CHILD HUNGER
Our Child Hunger Strategy is designed to address the nutritional needs of food-insecure children. Hungry children lack the energy to learn and play. Poor nutrition and missed meals can result in both short-term and lifelong consequences for growing kids, including health issues, behavioral problems, lower grades, higher dropout rates and diminished prospects for higher learning and job opportunities later in life.
NEARLY 50% OF
OC PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS
rely on school meals as their primary source of nutrition.
We provide food for children across Orange County through:
- 74 mobile and 7 permanent school pantries (elementary, middle and high schools)
- Community centers like Boys and Girls Clubs
- Kids Cafe afterschool and summer program locations
Kids Cafe Program
- Kids Cafes provide free meals and snacks for nearly 2,000 children each week, along with a safe place supervised by trusted staff through a variety of community locations.
- Kids add fresh, nutritious food to their plates that otherwise they would not be able to access.
- Many children rely on Kids Cafe as their last complete meal of the day.
Permanent School Pantries (PSPs)
- Our PSPs aim to destigmatize food assistance and provide a dignified, client-centered approach to serving food-insecure families, children and individuals. Our program model is grounded in compassion – from the pantry environment to method of food selection.
- PSP locations are open 3-5 days per week, offering a variety of fresh, nutritious items (including eggs and milk, protein and nutritious shelf-stable items) supplied by our main Distribution Center each morning.
Mobile School Pantries (MSPs)
- These large-scale, farmer’s market-style distributions on school grounds throughout Orange County offer a conveniently accessible source of food to low-income students and their families.
- Through MSPs, families receive fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, dairy and protein, balanced with the nutritional content of canned food and dry goods.
- Second Harvest Food Bank also partners with the Orange County Health Care Agency to
provide nutrition education and recipes based on seasonal produce items available.
COLLEGE PANTRIES
Research shows that 2 in every 5 University of California students are food insecure. In the California State University system, 1 in 4 students often don’t know where they’ll find food for their next meal.
Our College Pantry Program helps students stay in school, graduate and find work at well-paying jobs. We partner with 18 college campuses to provide consistent access to nutritious food, ensuring that all students have enough to eat so they can succeed in their studies.
SENIOR HUNGER
For many seniors living on fixed incomes, food insecurity is a constant worry. In Orange County, 22% of seniors trying to cover healthcare expenses, medications, the high cost of housing and other basic necessities often find themselves without enough left over for sufficient food. Skimping on meals can lead to negative health consequences. But when seniors eat a nutritious diet, they can lead healthier lives and remain independent for longer.
Our Senior Grocery Program has a clear focus on providing seniors with the fresh, nutritious food they need to meet their unique health and nutritional needs.
Through the Senior Grocery Program, we deliver a variety of fresh, perishable items to participating low-income senior apartment complexes and senior centers throughout Orange County.
WORKING FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS
Many people who look to Second Harvest and our partners for help are working one and sometimes two jobs, but aren’t able to earn enough to compensate for the high cost of living in Orange County. Even before the pandemic, individuals and families were one or two paychecks away from empty plates, and although we’re slowly recovering from the pandemic, any unexpected expense can tip people into food insecurity.
Community Partners
In fiscal year 2024, our Food Bank distributed 35.8 million pounds of food through our network of 394 Community Partner locations, to an average of 442,000 individuals each month. Our partners include houses of worship, schools, after-school programs, senior centers, shelters for the unhoused, soup kitchens and transitional housing facilities, and have hundreds of locations throughout the county.
NUTRITION FUELS
COMMUNITY HEALTH
Why nutrition is important
Healthier families = healthier oc
Nutrition is the key to our community’s well-being. Steady, consistent access to nutritious food increases food security and helps build more resiliency for adults and children. Second Harvest provides nutrient-dense food in convenient and dignified locations throughout the county so that we can set those in need up for success in school and at work.
SOURCING
We forecast the need for food using unemployment projections and community need—minus anticipated donations and rescued food—to provide a nutrition-focused food sourcing model.
In addressing food insecurity through establishing nutritional security, our plan prioritizes the sourcing and purchase of:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Eggs
- Dairy
- Protein
MEAL PLATE/PRODUCT MIX
Our nutrition strategy includes balancing fresh food with the nutritional content of canned food and shelf-stable items.
We intentionally purchase a mix of items to ensure a full and consistent nutrition pipeline. Using the Healthy Eating Research (HER) Nutrition Guidelines, we provide nutritious food that can help food-insecure individuals and families maintain good health and energy levels.
HARVEST SOLUTIONS FARM
In partnership with the UC South Coast Research and Extension Center (South Coast REC) and local sustainability farming pioneer and Solutions for Urban Agriculture founder A.G. Kawamura, we utilize 40 acres for our Harvest Solutions Farm at South Coast REC.
Since the launch in August 2021, the farm has produced over 5.8 million pounds of fresh, nutritious produce that has been distributed to those experiencing food and nutrition insecurity in our community.
CALFRESH
Food banks are only part of the solution to hunger. The CalFresh program or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), also helps food-insecure individuals and families put food on their tables.
CalFresh benefits alleviate financial stress and increase access to healthy food. The program also stimulates the local economy with millions of additional dollars spent on food each month. For every meal the food bank can provide, CalFresh provides nine more.
Foundation for a healthy oc
Consistent access to nutritious food options increases food security and supports enhanced community resiliency. By providing fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, dairy, whole grains and proteins for our neighbors in need, Second Harvest is setting up children and families for success in school, at work and in life.
LEADING TO OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUCCESS
We increase capacity for self-sufficiency throughout Orange County by helping everyone consistently eat well. As a result, the economy benefits, health outcomes improve and children and families are better prepared for success.
LEADING TO ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES
When adults are fueled with nutritious food, they are better equipped to perform at work, pursue career advancement and contribute to the health and growth of our local economy1. Additionally, better academic outcomes for young people create greater opportunities.
IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES
Elementary students who eat well have the energy and focus they need to learn and play. Studies show that good nutrition improves attendance, behavior, concentration and academic performance2. Healthy meals each day support growing, learning and achieving.
SUPPORTING MENTAL & PHYSICAL HEALTH
With healthy food on their plates, children can grow and develop and adults of all ages can reduce their risk of chronic diseases and better maintain socio-emotional well-being and health. In addition, research shows eating a healthy diet and avoiding processed foods and refined sugars can reduce symptoms of depression3.
CONSISTENT ACCESS TO NUTRITIOUS FOOD⁴
Food is fuel. When everyone has access to healthy food such as fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, dairy and protein, our community develops a foundation of resiliency on which to build.
1 World Health Organization, Nutrition, 2021; Poor Employee Health Means Slacking on the Job, Business Losses, Brigham Young University Communications, 2012 | 2 Nutrition and Students’ Academic Performance, Wilder Research, 2014 | 3 Nutritional Psychiatry: Your Brain on Food, Harvard Health Publishing, 2020 | 4 Prioritizing Nutrition in the U.S, Journal of the American Medical Association, 2021
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.