WEST VALLEY FOOD PANTRY

The mission at the West Valley Food Pantry is to ensure that No one goes away hungry by providing food and supportive services for individuals and families in need. That mission has never been more urgent than right now.

According to the Los Angeles County Public Health 2021 Food Insecurity Report, nearly 516,000 households in Los Angeles struggle to put food on their table, and nearly 95,000 of those are in the San Fernando Valley—more than any other region in the county.

From the West Valley Food Pantry’s website, https://www.westvalleyfoodpantry.org/: “At the West Valley Food Pantry, no one goes away hungry. We innovatively end hunger by operating a drive-through food pantry five days a week. On a weekly basis, our dedicated staff and volunteers pick up about 15,000 pounds of food from our grocery partners. The food is sorted, organized, and handed out to more than 800 households that visit our drive through food pantry. Within five minutes of checking in, each person is provided with a full week’s worth of groceries for their household. Additionally, we operate a senior food delivery program for more than 600 seniors a month, and provide shelf stable food for people experiencing homelessness that visit the West Valley Food Pantry.

We recognize that the individuals and families we serve are experiencing financial hardship which often prevents their other basic human needs from being met- including housing and healthcare. Throughout the year, we support families in our community with additional needs including infant supplies, school supplies, hygiene items, and toys. Additionally, we host vaccination clinics, mobile pet clinics and family holiday parties.”

Our church contact is Linda Fitzgerald.

5700 Rudnick Avenue
Woodland Hills, CA 91367

T: 818 346 5554 F: 818 346 3349

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From an Article By Meredith Graham in the Emerson weekly eBlast, Circa 2010-12:

…the West Valley Food Pantry has been a social action project of ours for many years—decades, actually. We collect food…and participate in annual Postal Service food drives as well as special drives of our own….

What does the Pantry do with our donations of food and money, anyway? Much more than you would think. The Pantry serves an average of 3,200 clients monthly, all residents of the West San Fernando Valley. Even the homeless! Families of up to four can pick up three bags of food per month, including fresh meat, fruits and veggies, courtesy of Trader Joe’s and the garden at Prince of Peace Episcopal Church. Thanks to a generous donation by a member of POP, plus donation of an irrigation system from Rotary International, the garden has “grown” by more than 100% in square footage since groundbreaking….

Through a partnership with Seeds of Hope, 150 fruit trees were donated and planted on the grounds of POP. Soon there will be a pruning and tree care workshop, which will get the trees ready to produce this season….

…since protein is the most expensive item the Pantry has to buy….Let’s be strategic and help reduce the amount of donor dollars they’re spending to make those client orders complete! Enough with the pasta. Bring in more canned tuna, canned chicken, peanut butter, brown rice and canned or dry beans. Also low-sodium soups, pop-top foods, Ensure, and socks. Yes, one-third of the Pantry’s clients are seniors with special dietary needs, and the homeless clients always need clean socks. Try affording the laundromat when you can’t afford to eat!

What else? Volunteer to maintain the garden; it’s always open for anyone who wants to get their hands dirty. Go to the tree workshop and get those little trees ready to rock and roll. Volunteer during the week to put the food orders together or to hand them out to the clients. If you don’t want to bring a food donation to church weekly, bring a check instead; it will be put to good use. Or commit to becoming a monthly pledging donor to the Pantry. …being able to count on a steady income is as much a blessing for the Pantry as it is for the rest of us. And keep your ears open: the big Post Office food drive will be here in May, which is just around the corner. Oodles of volunteers will be needed that day, as the trucks will roll in and the Boy Scouts of Troop 22 will happily welcome additional sorters in the parking lot of Prince of Peace.

…We have a vested interest; let’s make our social actions strategic and effective!