Every week around 130 people come to the pantry at Gus Garcia to secure food for their households. They fill the lobby and the hallway to the room we use for the pantry. Many come alone. Many more come with friends, family or kids to shop for the food. Some are unhoused and come with bikes or backpacks. Some bring their carts and strollers to carry the bags of food which sometimes creates issues walking in the spaces between tables.
Each table has a variety of foods in trays with limits per person. Each person is able to select the food they wish to take home. We generally have cereals, pasta, rice, beans and peas, canned fruit and vegetables, bread, fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and protein items, dairy, various snack items and the all time favorite–pastries. We keep a special selection of foods that do not need refrigeration for our unhoused community.
Carol’s Kindness is so grateful to our many donors large and small. We get fresh food each week from grocery stores and the community. We are also thankful to the donors who give money so we can buy food when we don’t get enough donated or fill in the categories that rarely are donated like cake mix. It really takes a village to pull this off each week.