HOW TO FIND FOOD NOW
Second Harvest provides food to almost 300 Orange County nonprofits, houses of worship, schools, colleges and universities, senior centers, etc. who, in turn, distribute food FREE OF CHARGE to individuals in need in their communities.
*Please note: Second Harvest Food Bank does NOT distribute food at its Irvine location.
How do I qualify for food?
There are no qualifications to receive food for yourself and your family.
Is there a cost for food?
No, the food is free of charge to you.
Where can I get food? Where can I find a food distribution near me?
Second Harvest distributes food to Orange County community members in need through our Partner Network of almost 300 nonprofits, houses of worship, schools, colleges and universities, senior centers, etc. These partners and pantries then distribute it to their local neighbors.
There are several ways to find a food distribution near you:
- Use the map below. You may search by city, zip code or pantry name. Be sure to click on the pantry name to see the full details including hours of food distribution. (List updated as of 06/09/25.)
- Click HERE for a PDF listing of pantries.
- Contact 211 Orange County, our county’s 24-hour, multi-lingual referral agency:
- Go to 211OC.org
- Call: 2-1-1
- Text: 898-211
Do I need to fill out any forms to receive food?
Generally, you do not need to fill out any forms*. The site will ask for the number of total individuals in your household receiving the food as well as number of children and seniors. A site may ask you to complete a form for their own internal records but that is optional.
*Sites that distribute food that is part of the federal The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) will ask for your name, county of residence, household count and whether this is the first time getting TEFAP food this month. Click HERE for a list of TEFAP distributions by both Second Harvest and Orange County Food Bank.
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 summer food program that gives families $120 per eligible child to buy groceries. To learn more about SUN Bucks click here: https://www.cdss.ca.gov/sun-bucks
WOMEN, INFANTS & CHILDREN (WIC)
WIC provides breastfeeding support, nutrition education and money for healthy food for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and children ages 0-5. WIC provides money on a debit-like card to buy food (including formula) at grocery stores and farmers’ markets. WIC eligibility is based on household income. For two people, the income limit is $3,040/month. For a family of 4, the limit is $4,625/month. WIC does not count Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) for military families. Undocumented immigrants in California are eligible. For more information, visit the Orange County Health Care Agency or call 2-1-1.
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 meals 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.