A number of food banks, soup kitchens for hot meals and free emergency food pantries in Salinas, California distribute groceries to individuals or families who are in some form of an emergency situation.
There are also meals, free bags of food, personal toiletries and household goods for low to moderate income families from food pantries near you.
Distribution centers can include churches, non-profit organizations, community action agencies, and many other local charities as well as non-profits.
Salvation Army Food Pantry
The Salvation Army is dedicated to eliminating food insecurity.
The Salvation Army operates free local food banks around Salinas, California from almost all of their local social service centers. The charity organization is involved in feeding millions of families each year, with a large percentage of those assisted being children as well as the elderly.
We have located 2 Salvation Army Food Pantry locations in Salinas, California which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
The Salvation Army - MONTEREY (Peninsula), CA: Corps Community Center
Services provided :
- Casework Services
- Christian Education
- Community Recreation & Education Programs
- Day Care
- Disaster Services
- Emergency Financial Assistance
- Emergency Shelter
- Food & Nutrition
- Food & Nutrition Programs
- Group Work Services
- Latchkey Programs
- Men's Ministries
- Music & Arts Programs
- Residential Camping Activities
- Seasonal Services
- Transitional Housing
- Women's Ministries
- Worship Services - Children's / Teen
- Worship Services - Church
- Worship Services - Sunday School
- Worship Services - Youth Ministries
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (831) 899-4911 to book your appointment.
Address :
1491 Contra Costa St,
Seaside, CA 93955.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Counties:
- Monterey
The Salvation Army - Montclair Citadel
Services provided :
- Bible Study - Correspondence
- Camping Activities
- Casework Services
- Character Building Programs
- Christian Education
- Day Camp Activities
- Disaster Services
- Emergency Financial Assistance
- Emergency Shelter
- Food & Nutrition
- Food & Nutrition Programs
- Men's Ministries
- Military Personnel Assistance
- Missing Persons
- Music & Arts Programs
- Residential Camping Activities
- Seasonal Services
- Women's Ministries
- Worship Services - Children's / Teen
- Worship Services - Church
- Worship Services - Sunday School
- Worship Services - Young Adult
- Worship Services - Youth Ministries
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (973) 744-3312 to book your appointment.
Address :
13 Montclair Pl, TRINITY PLACE,
Salinas, CA 93907.
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Help Residents of Counties:
- Monterey
Church Food Pantry
A number of churches around Salinas, California have food pantries for those in their neighborhoods who are in need of food items.
Churches operate with food donations gathered and deliver to the food pantry nearest you by individuals using food drives.
Some churches also deliver food items to elderly who are unable to drive to a nearest community food pantry. Please contact your local church directly.
We have located 1 Church Food Pantry locations in Salinas, California which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
All Saints' Episcopal Church - Food Pantry
For over twenty years, All Saints’ food pantry has fed the hungry in our community. Need food? Come to the church office and we will provide you a pre-packed bag of food. The only requirement is that you complete a short form. (The form does not ask for your name.) Our regular office hours are Monday – Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Note that the office may be closed on both federal and church holidays. The food is provided in part by members who bring food on Sunday mornings when they come to worship or drop it off in the office during the week. The Outreach Commission has also been successful in securing a FEMA grant for the last several years, which allows the food pantry team to buy staple food items in bulk from the Monterey County Food Bank. Rosemary Smith is the team leader and is assisted by many other members, including Aliceon Jones, Hans Lehmann, Jana Gil, and Raul Garcia. Just before the Easter and Christmas holidays, Hans Lehman forms a team of ministry volunteers to prepare boxes and gather enough food to fill one hundred or more. In recent years Boy Scout Troupe 127 and the associated Cub Scout pack have come to help load the boxes. The holiday food boxes are distributed through our missions in Marina and Big Sur, as well as to families in need here in Carmel. If you are in need of a holiday food box (or know a family in need) please share it confidentially with the priest at All Saints’ or Epiphany. You will be added to the list and provided a food box while supplies last.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (831) 624-3883 to book your appointment.
Address :
9 Th Ave,
Carmel, CA 93923.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Carmel
Help Residents of Counties:
- Monterey
Catholic Charities Food Pantry
Resources provided by the Catholic Charity organization focus on addressing food, holiday, and immigration needs.
Families of all religions, backgrounds, and cultures can contact Catholic Charity centers for help.
Catholic Charities in Salinas, California are open to families on a first-come, first-serve basis. The centers operate during normal business hours, and provide walk-ins with groceries, food boxes, and items to prepare a meal.
The food pantries are like grocery stores, allow clients the ability to choose the items they need from the groceries that are available on site.
First-time clients of the food pantry will need to apply, and this is done from a one-page application. An applicant will need to provide basic household member as well as demographic information.
We have located 0 Catholic Charities Food Pantry locations in Salinas, California which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Helping Hands Food Pantry
Helping Hands is a faith-based 501(c)(3) food pantry operated around Salinas, California almost entirely by volunteers.
It provides a 7-day supply of groceries and personal care items free of charge to people in need, regardless of their religious beliefs.
Helping Hands is supported entirely by donations from individuals, service organizations, churches, and businesses in our community.
Find a local helping hands food pantry open near you.
We have located 0 Helping Hand Food Pantry locations in Salinas, California which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Mobile Food Pantry
The mobile food pantry program distributes food directly to families in communities around Salinas, California in need during large-scale one-day distributions.
A typical mobile pantry serves 200-250 families distributing up to 10,000 pounds of food. This past year over 6.6 million pounds were distributed through this program.
Mobile food pantries usually visit churches, community centers, schools, shopping centers, and other convenient locations. They usually go to areas where there aren't grocery stores or other food pantries.
Mobile Food Pantry Schedule 2024
Unlike traditional food pantries where you go to them, mobile pantry trucks come to you. Food banks sometimes have an online mobile food pantry schedule.
Mobile food pantry scheduled to visit a community once a week or once a month. There may be last-minute cancellations or changes so recheck the mobile food pantry schedule before you plan to go.
We have located 0 Mobile Food Pantry locations in Salinas, Model.Content.StateName which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry
The St. Vincent de Paul food pantry operates around Salinas, California much like a grocery store where people in need can choose their own food. It helps to enhance their personal dignity and reduces waste due to unwanted food items.
It also helps them to be proactive in addressing any underlying health issues. This is our model of choice for food pantries in the future.
We have located 0 St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry locations in Salinas, California which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Food Pantry Delivery Program
Food Pantry Delivery Program delivers food and other products once a month at twenty points in around Salinas, California area. This makes it just a bit easier for some of more remote rural agencies to receive their products. About 70% of members take advantage of the Food Pantry Delivery Program.
Food Pantry
We have located 5 Food Pantry locations in Salinas, California which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Covia
Episcopal Senior Communities currently sponsors Senior Produce Markets that sell fresh fruits and vegetables at cost to approximately 1,000 seniors each week, most of whom are on fixed incomes. In churches, senior centers, and affordable housing sites throughout Northern California, volunteers and elders gather to buy fresh and healthy produce as well as share conversation, meals, and celebrations. Venues provide a resource center for information and referral, education, and networking.
Many of our markets have a mission within a mission: perishable leftover produce from each market is donated to another non-profit organization that serves seniors and others in need.
For more information about our award-winning Senior Produce Markets, or if you wish to sponsor a market, please contact Sheila Womack ator
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (925) 956-7400 to book your appointment.
Address :
2185 N California Blvd,
Walnut Creek, CA 94596.
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Hours Of Operations :
- Mon: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Tues: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Wed: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Thurs: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Fri: 08:00 AM - 05:00 PM
- Sat: Closed
- Sun: Closed
Help Residents of Counties:
- Alameda
- Contra Costa
- Marin
- Monterey
- San Francisco
- Santa Clara
- Sonoma
Our Lady of Mount Carmel - Hope's Pantry
The mission of this ministry is to help those who are less fortunate who might be struggling to feed their families. It also stocks the parish food pantry. This ministry is solely supported by parishioners working in collaboration with the local Food Bank. The Pantry is located on the grounds of our church and is open to the public every Wednesday morning 10-12 noon.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (831) 659-2224 to book your appointment.
Address :
9 El Caminito Rd,
Carmel Valley, CA 93924.
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Carmel Valley
Help Residents of Counties:
- Monterey
Hope Center
The Hope Center’s mission is to help our neighbors in need by providing supplemental groceries through a food pantry serving the Monterey Peninsula. The organization provides information regarding community services, and empowers our children by giving them opportunities to work and learn about hunger and to make our world a better place. The organization serves any family in need and that includes their pets! The Hope Center believes when a family is hungry everyone suffers.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (831) 920-7275 to book your appointment.
Address :
241 B,
Dela Vina Monterey, CA 93940.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Dela Vina Monterey
Help Residents of Counties:
- Monterey
Dorothy's Kitchen
Other than love, what is more basic a need than a food to eat? For people who are experiencing homelessness, without a place to prepare meals, a home-style meal is truly a blessing, but in Dorothy's Kitchen, we serve more than food. We serve smiles, gentle conversation, hugs, and an atmosphere of family. Dorothy's Kitchen opens at 8:30 every morning for a hot breakfast for our guests, serving between 90 and 150 people each day. The Kitchen also serves a hot lunch every day of the week at 1:00. We average 200 lunch meals daily. Our Women Alive! Emergency shelter serves a hot dinner to around 35 women nightly. Emergency food boxes are distributed between 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Mondays through Fridays. There is no charge, obligation (other than good behavior), or discrimination. We don’t ask names or request IDs. Those who come are our guests, and are treated with hospitality, like family.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (831) 757-3838 to book your appointment.
Address :
30 Soledad St,
Salinas, CA 93901.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Salinas
Help Residents of Counties:
- Monterey
Thomas Carman Food Pantry
The Thomas Carman Food Pantry's mission is to provide food for needy households and individuals. We are located at the Epiphany Lutheran and Episcopal Church at the corner of Carmel and California Avenues in the City of Marina. The Pantry is open on Tuesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 to 11 a.m. Anyone in need is welcome. Customers are required to register and provide some form of identification. The Pantry has been in operation since 2002. In 2013 we distributed 5,165 bags of food feeding 6,835 people.
Services provided :
- food pantry
Appointments :
You can privately and easily book your appointment online for select services 24/7. For the full set of services, you can call (831) 883-8024 to book your appointment.
Address :
425 Carmel Ave,
Marina, CA 93933.
Get Directions
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Marina
Help Residents of Counties:
- Monterey
Drive-thru Food Pantries
Since the start of the coronavirus, drive-thru food pantries have become the safest, most efficient way to provide food to our struggling neighbors.
Who can visit a drive-thru pantry?
Drive-thru pantries are open for anyone who needs help getting food. There are no eligibility criteria. Visitors do not need to provide any identification or income statements.
Only two piece of information is asked
- You Zipcode, and
- Number of people in their family.
You dont need to take appointment. Drive-thru pantries are first-come, first served so plan to arrive early.
How do drive-thru pantries actually work?
There are lot of volunteers help at Drive-thru food pantries. While not all drive-thru pantries operate in the same way, here�s how most work:
Staff and volunteers direct visitors to the parking area.
Visitors pull up to the pantry in their car and are usually guided into a clearly marked queue. As people move through the pantry, staff will continue to move the cars forward to get everyone through as quickly and safely as possible.
Checkin.
You are required to fill some information for Pantry's recording keeping.
Food is loaded into the cars.
Pre-packed bags of food, usually full of shelf-stable items like pasta, canned fruit and peanut butter, as well as fresh produce and meats are loaded by volunteers into the trunk of the car.
Pet Food Pantry
One in four pet owners who give up their pets to a shelter say it is because they cannot afford to care for them. Pet Food Pantries are designed to fill the void in the nation�s current assistance programs that exclude the purchase of food and supplies for family pets.
The Pet Food Pantry provides free pet food, for 3 months or less, to pet owners who cannot afford to feed their pets in Salinas, California
Who are eligible for Pet Food Pantry
Pet Food Pantry helps people who are:
- All ages, races and marital status
- Unemployed or underemployed
- Retired, living on social security or other limited income
- Physically or mentally disabled
- Experiencing homelessness or housing instability
Tips for Visiting a Food Pantry
Show up early.
This is very important. This means you will be first in line and have a chance to get the items that are sought after and in limited quantities such as fresh produce, dairy and frozen food.
You don't usually need to show up hours ahead of time but coming at least an hour before is usually a good idea.
Remember all documentation.
Many food pantries require documentation to prove who you are, and in some cases, where you live.
This is to make sure people are not coming more than they are allowed or using fake names to do so. Call ahead of time to find out what documentation is needed.
It's just your photo ID and a piece of mail that verifies your address.
Use several food banks.
Using more than one food bank (when available) is smart because you may be able to get something at one that you may not get at another.
For instance, one may have a deal with a local gardener that gives them their extras. This may mean this food bank has more produce.
Eligible for other programs?
Ask your Department of Social Services office if you are eligible for other assistance programs to supplement your household’s food supply.
They can easily tell you if you can apply for WIC (Women and Infant Children), USDA Commodities or SNAP(Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.
Ask about extras.
If you have special needs for infants or special diets, the pantries may be able to assist you.
Many times, they can help with diapers, baby formula, baby food, personal hygiene products, and even special diet items like gluten free or sugar free foods.
Go on different days of the week.
Depending on the food pantry, they may be open only one or two days a week or they may be open all seven days. When you have a choice, going midweek is often best as it is less crowded.
Be polite to workers.
Nearly everyone at a food bank is a volunteer. Be polite to the workers there as they often deal with highly emotional situations.
FAQ(Frequently Asked Questions)
1. What is the difference between a food bank and a food pantry?
Independent community food pantries are self-governing and usually distribute food to their clients on a once-a-month basis. A food bank is the storehouse for millions of pounds of food and other products that go out to the community. A food pantry functions as the arms that reach out to that community directly.
2. What kind of food is at a food pantry?
Specifically, food banks often need items like:
- Peanut butter
- Canned soup
- Canned fruit
- Canned vegetables
- Pasta
- Canned beans
- Canned stew
- Canned fish
3. Who can go to food pantry?
At the majority of food pantries, eligibility is based on self-attested need. You do not need to have a referral, and income is not a factor to receive food.
4. What is the difference between a food pantry and a soup kitchen?
A food pantry provides three-day food packages to families that have a place to live, but not enough food. These packages are designed to provide nutritionally balanced meals. Soup kitchens serve individuals in need of a hot meal, the only meal of the day for many of them.
5. How does a food pantry work?
Food Banks acquire large donations of edible but unmarketable food from the food industry and distribute it to organizations that feed hungry people. Then they provide this food to family in a need.