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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
Second Harvest Participates in D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event
Second Harvest was honored to participate in this year’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event at the Disney VoluntEARS Experience!
On Sunday, August 11, the third and final day of the event, Disney fans worked alongside Disney VoluntEARS (Disney employees) assembling an incredible 7,500 snack packs for individuals and families facing food insecurity in Orange County.
These snack packs will be distributed to our Partner Network, making a real difference in our community. A special shoutout to the Disney VoluntEARS for their extraordinary gift that made this impactful volunteer experience possible!
The Walt Disney Company has supported nonprofits working to improve access to nutritious meals for over a decade. This support includes providing funding to food banks to build capacity and distribute fresh produce within communities that need it most.
In total, Disney fans helped an estimated 21,000 individuals and families over the course of the three-day event. To join D23 attendees in learning more about how Disney delivers happiness, joy and magic when it’s needed most, please visit impact.disney.com.
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.