Pajaro Valley Loaves And Fishes Inc

Programs: Pajaro valley loaves and fishes provides food to needy people free of charge through its hot lunch and pantry programs. Our programs alleviate hunger among homeless, elderly, and disabled individuals and low-income families residing in the pajaro valley. Many program participants are seasonally employed farm workers in local agriculture. During the 2016-17 fiscal year the pantry distributed bags of groceries to 1662 households comprising 4,872 people, in 8,378 visits to the pantry. 40% of those served were farm workers and their families. 41% of those served were children. 44% of the food distributed through the pantry program was fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, 400 families received turkeys and chickens for thanksgiving. At christmas 325 households received turkeys or chickens; these families included 673 children 0-12 years who received toys provided by toys for tots and other donors. The hot lunch program provided a complete noontime meal five days a week, including holidays. The meals are freshly prepared on-site and include salads, vegetables, fruits, breads, meats and other protein sources. Usda, the food bank and other donors provide most of the ingredients. 25,600 meals were served to needy clients during the fiscal year. 2,280 additional meals were served to staff, volunteers and trainees. We also served 4,797second helpings. In total, through both our kitchen and pantry, we provided over 300,000 meals to local residents in need. Pajaro valley loaves and fishes works closely with other agencies to provide access to health care and mental health services, nutrition education, and application assistance for the medical and calfresh programs to our clients. Representatives from the county health services agency, homeless persons health project, dignity health mobile outreach, and second harvest food bank provide on-site outreach and services to participants in our food pantry and lunch programs. We also provide referrals to other social service agencies, such as immigration services and utility assistance, as needed. On-site volunteer opportunities are provided for students and adults to perform community service toward completion of a requirement for their school or for the court, or for personal fulfillment. In cooperation with several community agencies, we offer training placements for unemployed and under-employed youth and adult workers, intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals, and adults transitioning off of the calworks program to aid trainees in acquiring skills and experience to facilitate their re-entry to the workforce.