The Second Harvest of the Greater Valley has launched a by appointment only food pantry for residents in Manteca, Lathrop, and French Camp.
It’s a slight departure for the Manteca-based concern that serves as distribution center to help stock 93 food pantry sites operated by organizations in seven counties.
It has been common over the years for people in the local area to drop by Second Harvest in the belief it was an emergency food closet per se as opposed to being a central warehouse that secures surplus food from various vendors and distributes it to food pantries in San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, and Mariposa counties.
Given the need, the decision was made to establish the food pantry.
“We are continually exploring innovative ways to expand food access and better serve our communities,” said Melissa Mays, Agency Relations Manager. “Establishing an onsite pantry allows us to meet people where they already seek support, making it a practical and impactful solution to help close the hunger gap.”
The Harvest of Hope Pantry:
*is located at 704 Industrial Park Drive, Manteca.
*is by appointment only every Monday and Thursday from 8 a.m. until noon.
*offers shelf-stable groceries, fresh produce, frozen and refrigerated items, along with hygiene and cleaning supplies.
*serves low- to moderate-income families living in Manteca, Lathrop, and French Camp.
*requires appointments be scheduled at least 48 hours in advance.
*appointments may be requested by calling (209) 490-5176 and leaving a message or by visiting localfoodbank.org/amys-legacy-harvest-of-hope.
Officially known as Harvest of Hope – Amy’s Legacy, it was created in honor of former team member Amy Ross and her commitment to serving others.
The food pantries Second Harvest supplies have served more than 100,000 first-time clients and over 550,000 returning clients in the last fiscal year. That represents 19.3 million pounds of food that was distributed.
Between Second Harvest and four affiliated food banks in the Northern San Joaquin Valley and Central Sierra, another 2 million pounds of food are distributed on an annual basis. The affiliates operate independently and source their own food and funds locally.
Second Harvest assists sister food banks — SF Marin, San Jose, and Redwood Empire — by providing another 4 million pounds of food each year.
Second Harvest also:
“provides groceries to six farm community sites for agricultural workers and their families in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties.
*operates a Mobile Fresh program that brings an assortment of food items — with an emphasis on produce — to 28 sites each month in the most underserved communities in the San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. More than 4,600 people are served each month.
*supplies 18 school sites in the two county area via the Fresh Food 4 Kids program.
*provides groceries to 137 home-bound individuals with Amazon providing assistance for the deliveries.
For more information, visit localfoodbank.org.
