Just like our last update, we are still going strong! We have seen a slight drop in our average numbers of families down to 400. This is probably due to schools re-opening, our fresh produce supply, and people returning back to work. It's great to know that less people might be in need and are relying on food pantries like ours.

We are also experiencing a shortage of volunteers since many of our college students are going back to or moving to colleges. We're so happy for them and grateful to all their support and help for the last 1.5 years. We would not have been able to serve nearly as many families without them.

The supply of fresh produce, dairy, staple goods and other supplies has been winding down since the USDA government programs ended back in June. Food banks are also feeling the strain of demand since more food pantries are now open. The US coast guard is also now not able to help as much to pack and distribute food kits. This has caused a number of small hurdles for us but we're optimistic and overcoming them slowly.

As we look into options of how we are going to be sustainable and continue running the food pantry with less volunteers, less food supplies, and less clients relying on us, we are hopeful that we have provided a resource to the hundreds of families that needed us. We're going to no doubt stay open since we have been every single week since 2013. But we will have to strategize and be creative.

Much of our equipment needs to be serviced soon as well; forklift tires and full tune-up, 24' reefer truck needs service and possibly replaced soon, and a new freezer to store left overs and supplies along with other operational costs. We're grateful for any donations we can receive. 

As everything around is trying to get back to normal and re-opening, the Khalsa Food Pantry team has been continuing our work to provide food and resource assistance to the communities that are in need and affected the most. 

We are now averaging about 650 to 1000 families each week, which puts us around 50k families served each year. The demand is still strong and very much there for this San Fernando and Pacoima community that has been hit hard by Covid. As we work through the government and food supply changes, we are still striving to source and provide a healthy and balanced meal along with hygiene kits, clothing, resources and now vaccines!

In March 2021 we partnered with a local medical clinics organization that has been since provided thousands of vaccines to our clients and the local community we serve. We are now a well known and established center and resource for vaccines and information that the community can depend on. Based on some recent polling and research, as much as 50% of the local community in Pacoima is still not vaccinated. We wanted to provide an easy and safe way for the communtiy to come out and get their first and second doses and have been one of the longest open vaccine clinics where as other clinics have popped up and shut down.

We are grateful to all the sponsors, volunteers, and partnerships that make the KFP what it is today. 

We wanted to take a moment to relay a few key updates from the Khalsa Food Pantry. A year ago when Covid-19 hit, we realized our call to action and started forming emergency response networks where Khalsa Food Pantry was going to be a key part of.

I wanted to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to all our volunteers, sponsors and supporters. Thanks to your support, we have fed thousands of families and provided them millions of pounds of food (about 3.8M since the pandemic). We are working hard to continue providing food assistance and resources to our local communities. This requires an exceptional amount of work by extraordinary volunteers every single week. Many will be going back to work and school soon and there will inevitably be changes and hiccups with the food supplies and logistics. Nothing we can’t and won’t be able to handle.

While we serve anywhere from 500 to 900 families on average each week at our drive thru food pantry and provide food to partner pantries to feed another few thousand families, we are a relatively streamlined and small operation. We are a fairly small group of volunteers that is predominantly young, energetic and passionate. We also must ensure that every volunteer stays safe, feels comfortable and wants to continue to come back to do sewa with us.

Our future strategy will all depend on the food supply, donations, and how the food banks distribute and support the flow. We are also in the beggining stages of providing vaccines to the clients that come to recieve food. This is an extremely hard hit and vulnerable community and we will continue to support them however we can. 

The Khalsa Food Pantry has seen a sustained and dramatic increase in demand for food assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic. We are serving 700+ familes at our main location in Pacoima and another 250-500 familes across southern California each week! We've served over 3 million pounds of food this year alone. This is only possible because of our amazing volunteers, donors and partnerships. 

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh,
 
KCF Food Pantry wants to personally thank you. Without your support, we would not be able to provide the food that we do. This year, KCF Pantry has grown in quality and number. We serve an average of 70 families a week. No matter what the weather, rain or shine, families are always here. With your support, we have been able to provide fresh fruits and vegetables every single week. The smiles that form on the families’ faces with they see the variety is beyond words. Once again, we thank you for your continuous support.

Harbinder Kaur

Harbinder, better known as Binde, always makes time out her busy schedule to come to a pantry.Mother of 3 and business owner, Binde come early every Friday to take inventory, sort out the produce, and keep everything flowing smoothly. There is not a moment where she is doing nothing. We are lucky to have her in our Food Pantry!