Food Distribution in Alhambra

By Glenn Barnett

Alhambra is a city that is rooted in food. Not only is this city full of great restaurants, but it is also home to numerous culinary initiatives like festivals, food tours, and more. One of these is food distribution, which is available to Alhambra residents who, due to circumstances beyond their control, could benefit from the assistance of others.

The City of Alhambra has teamed with Republic Services and the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments to create an excess edible food recovery program for commercial businesses. Rather than discard unsold food, businesses can now donate these leftovers to eligible food distribution organizations.

As of this writing, these include The Alhambra Teachers Association, All Souls Catholic Church, Asian Youth Center, Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, First Baptist Church of Alhambra, and Food Finders. These organizations, in turn, distribute the food to recipients who have been pre-qualified. They are all allied with the L.A. Regional Food Bank.

The YMCA of West San Gabriel Valley has teamed up with Tzu Chi to distribute food to eligible families on the second Saturday of every month from 9 AM to 11 AM. (Note: The Tzu Chi Foundation is an international charitable organization. Its branch in the United States was founded in Alhambra in 1989).

The City of Alhambra hosts luncheons for seniors at Joslyn Adult Center. Their case management program team supports them if they are shut in by arranging delivery and other resources such as CalFresh and EBT cards.

The Alhambra City School District provides breakfast, lunch, and a late snack for all students Monday through Friday. During summer, the Parks and Recreation Department takes over the responsibility for student lunches and snacks.

Additionally, the Alhambra Baptist Church distributes food every Thursday at noon, the Alhambra Teachers Association distributes food twice a month, and the Asian Youth Center distributes food by appointment. All Souls Church, in partnership with St. Vincent de Paul, offers food support on the third Thursday of the month from 3:30-5:30 PM.

All of the distributed food focuses on good nutrition. The donated food includes fresh fruits and vegetables, plus dry goods like rice, beans, pasta, and cereal. There are canned goods and, when possible, vouchers for even more groceries or household goods.

Covid and inflation continue to batter away at the livelihoods of many. The selfless volunteers of these grassroots organizations are here to help.