A number of food banks, soup kitchens for hot meals and free emergency food pantries in Santa Cruz, 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 Santa Cruz, 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 3 Salvation Army Food Pantry locations in Santa Cruz, California which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
The Salvation Army - SANTA CRUZ, CA: Corps Community Center
Services provided :
- Casework Services
- Character Building Programs
- Christian Education
- Disaster Services
- Emergency Shelter
- Food & Nutrition Programs
- Men's Ministries
- 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 (831) 426-8365 to book your appointment.
Address :
721 Laurel St,
Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
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Help Residents of Counties:
- Santa Cruz
Redwood Glen Camp: The Salvation Army
Services provided :
- Character Building Programs
- Christian Education
- Residential Camping Activities
- 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) 461-2000 to book your appointment.
Address :
3100 Bean Creek Rd,
Scotts Valley, CA 95066.
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- Santa Cruz
The Salvation Army - WATSONVILLE, CA: Corps Community Center
Services provided :
- Camping Activities
- Casework Services
- Character Building Programs
- Christian Education
- Day Camp Activities
- Disaster Services
- Food & Nutrition
- Food & Nutrition Programs
- Men's Ministries
- Music & Arts Programs
- Nutrition Programs
- Rehabilitation
- Seasonal Services
- Visitation Services
- Women's Ministries
- Worship Services - Children's / Teen
- Worship Services - Church
- Worship Services - Sunday School
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) 724-3922 to book your appointment.
Address :
214 Union St,
Watsonville, CA 95076.
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- Santa Cruz
Church Food Pantry
A number of churches around Santa Cruz, 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 2 Church Food Pantry locations in Santa Cruz, California which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Twin Lakes Church - People's Pantry
People's Pantry exists to share Christ's love through the sharing of our food & lives, and to provide our people with an opportunity for service & fellowship. Stop by Rm 704 on Wednesday between 3:30–5:30.
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) 566-3791 to book your appointment.
Address :
2701 Cabrillo College Dr,
Aptos, CA 95003.
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Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Aptos
Help Residents of Counties:
- Santa Cruz
Calvary Episcopal Church - Calvary Food Pantry
Calvary's Food Pantry disributes food to approximately 180 needy families and individuals, usually on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month. Last year, nearly 60,000 pounds of food were given out to local needy and homeless 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) 423-8787 to book your appointment.
Address :
532 Center St,
Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Santa Cruz
Help Residents of Counties:
- Santa Cruz
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 Santa Cruz, 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 1 Catholic Charities Food Pantry locations in Santa Cruz, California which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
St. Francis Catholic Kitchen
The Kitchen has been serving meals to the hungry in Santa Cruz for over 25 years. Each day a hearty meal of soup, salad, bread, coffee and milk are served to over 180 people at noon. There are an estimated 400 people who sleep outside in Santa Cruz and it’s difficult for one agency to handle all their needs. The Kitchen is one place where those in need will find a kind welcome, food and an opportunity to rest in safety. Who can eat? All in need regardless of race, creed, color or sex. When are meals served? A midday meal is served Monday thru Friday from 12:00 to 1:00. What is served? Each day a different soup is served in addition to the salad, fruit, bread and milk. A wholesome variety of filling soup and homemade salad dressings help to create a complete meal. Desserts are also served when available. What other services are available? Showers are available daily from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Clothing is distributed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Shirts, pants, socks, outerwear and clothing are available to our guests.
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) 459-6712 to book your appointment.
Address :
205 Mora St,
Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
Get Directions
Hours Of Operations :
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Santa Cruz
Help Residents of Counties:
- Santa Cruz
Helping Hands Food Pantry
Helping Hands is a faith-based 501(c)(3) food pantry operated around Santa Cruz, 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 Santa Cruz, 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 Santa Cruz, 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 Santa Cruz, 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 Santa Cruz, 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 Santa Cruz, 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 Santa Cruz, 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 1 Food Pantry locations in Santa Cruz, California which provides a wide array of services. We have partnered so you can also check your eligibility.
Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry & Kitchen
Founded in 1989, Loaves and Fishes is a community-based organization dedicated to alleviating hunger among working poor families, migrant farm workers, and elderly, disabled and homeless individuals of the Pajaro Valley. We help sustain the lives of thousands of individuals by assisting them with nutritious food, education and referrals in cooperation with other agencies. Our Pantry Program provides supplement groceries to individuals and families in need. We receive groceries from a variety of sources including local growers and packers, community food wholesalers and retailers and the Second Harvest Food Bank. Acquisitions are made through a combination of donations and purchases. The Pantry is open every weekday morning, Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 11:30 am and in the afternoon for emergency referrals from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Families and individuals in our service area are permitted to receive groceries twice per month. Our primary service area is the neighborhoods of Watsonville, west of Main Street. We also provide emergency food assistance to those referred to us by the Community Food Hotline. Pantry clients receive non-perishable foods, bread, fresh produce, and frozen vegetables. The amount of food allocated varies by family size. We are a host site of Second Harvest’s Food For Children program. Families with children receive additional food through a monthly on-site distribution. We serve a nutritious hot Lunch every Monday through Friday at Noon. Each meal is prepared on-site in our certified, health department-inspected kitchen by our Executive Cook — a Certified Professional Food Manager — with the assistance of community volunteers
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) 722-4144 to book your appointment.
Address :
150 Second St,
Watsonville, CA 95076.
Get Directions
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Help Residents of Cities:
- Watsonville
Help Residents of Counties:
- Santa Cruz
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 Santa Cruz, 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.