Second Harvest Food Bank Of Orange County

Target demographics: everyone in the community faced with food insecurity

Geographic areas served: Helping end food insecurity in the community

Programs: Second Harvest Food Bank has been feeding Orange County's most vulnerable populations including children, seniors, families, veterans, disabled and the homeless since 1983. In 2022 Second Harvest Food Bank distributed more than 35 million pounds of food, providing 400,000 people per month with high-quality, nutritious food to provide a hand up and a life-line to self-sufficiency. The food collected by Second Harvest is distributed by over 350 non-profit partners including church pantries, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, after school, and senior programs. Our child hunger strategy seeks to end hunger for more than 175,000 at-risk children each month. After-school and summer meals and snacks (plus nutrition education) are provided through a network of kids cafes. Our school pantry program distributes thousands of pounds of fresh produce and other food items at neighborhood schools in under-served areas. Second harvests senior grocery program is designed to combat hunger and malnutrition for low-income seniors by distributing groceries to more than 3,700 senior households. Our feeding hope box program provides emergency food for individuals and families experiencing financial emergencies such as job loss and unexpected medical or car repair expenses and provides food to tide them over rough patches. We also provide staple items and fresh produce directly to the needy in under-served areas throughout orange county with our mobile pantry and school pantry deliveries. We provide direct, on the spot application assistance for Cal fresh benefits for qualified individuals and families in underserved areas, eliminating barriers to participation. Second Harvest food bank depends on its generous and dedicated volunteers whose work represents 40% of the labor performed at Second Harvest.