HOW TO FIND FOOD NOW
We partner with almost 300 Orange County nonprofits, churches, schools, colleges and universities, senior centers, etc. by providing them with food so they can give you the help you need, when you need it most.
>>Click HERE for a current list of Second Harvest pantries and partners that can provide you with food free of charge.
For more food assistance locations and free CalFresh application help:
- Go to 211OC.org
- Go to OCFoodHelp.org
- Call: 2-1-1
- Text: 898-211
2-1-1 of Orange County will pick up the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and can assist callers in multiple languages.
*Please note: Second Harvest Food Bank does not distribute food to individuals at its Irvine location. You must go to a food pantry to receive food. Call 211 for help or CLICK HERE to find a Second Harvest pantry food distribution near you.
CALFRESH ASSISTANCE
The CalFresh program or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), helps food-insecure individuals and families put food on their tables. CalFresh benefits alleviate financial stress and increase access to healthy food.
Call 211 to find out if you qualify for CalFresh and complete your application by phone or in person.
You may also book your own appointment with 211 by CLICKING HERE
A CalFresh guide for immigrants with answers to common questions can be found CLICKING HERE
SUN BUCKS
SUN Bucks (also called Summer EBT) is a new summer food program in 2024 that will give families $120 per eligible child to buy groceries. Families who got CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal at least once during the 2023-24 school year will get SUN Bucks automatically. Families who didn’t get these programs can get SUN Bucks, too. They must meet free/reduced price meal income guidelines and submit a school meal form or “alternative income form” at their child’s school by August 31. Learn more about eligibility and how to apply. Please note that SUN Bucks will not impact your immigration status or your ability to participate in other food programs like CalFresh.
To learn more about SUN Bucks click here: https://www.cdss.ca.gov/sun-bucks
The California Department of Social Services has also launched a statewide hotline for SUN Bucks: 877-328-9677. Families will be able to get help with:
- PIN set-up
- Card replacement
- Finding out the specific date the card was loaded
- Eligibility questions
The call center has agents who speak English and Spanish (M-F 6am-8pm), with other language translators available when needed.
AFTER SCHOOL AND
SUMMER MEALS
FOR KIDS
Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County provides Kids Cafes with healthy after school and summer meals.
You DO NOT need to be a member of the after school or summer program in order to receive the Kids Cafe meal. Any child 18 and under can receive a Kids Cafe meal.
For Kids Cafe locations,
click here
For summer meal locations,
click here
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.