Bellflower community unites after families ask for help

Volunteers load groceries in Bellflower on Wednesday. Photo by Alex Dominguez

BELLFLOWER — More than 100 in need families received groceries on Wednesday, thanks to some quick collaboration between the City of Bellflower, Kiwanis, Caring Connections, and a local temple.

Wednesday’s event started to take shape after the Shriji Mandir Temple reached out to Mayor Juan Garza in an attempt to help 40 families in need with groceries.

“With the need that’s in the community right now, the growing need for food, it’s just how do we capitalize on this opportunity, get this product to our community in need as soon as possible? That really was the first reaction…at that point it’s ‘okay, what’s the proper gateway that will be able to do this as fast as possible as well,” said Garza.

“It was identifying key people like Victor [Sanchez], who in turn also has a network of relationships in the community… tapping into the network, tapping into the relationships to be able to get this to collaboration as soon as possible.”

Temple attendee Bhavesh Muni, who was helping distribute, said that the temple members are taught to be “a good neighbor.”

“We want to help our community to the best of our ability,” said Muni. “This is part of what we call our religious belief, helping mankind…that is what we are doing basically.”

The event would eventually swell from the initial 40 intended to 100, with a few extra groceries distributed to other families who were not on the list.

Sanchez, a former Bellflower Kiwanis president, said that along with the groceries that were donated by the temple, Caring Connections – of which he is a board member – was able to reallocate some recently received grant funds to also help the cause.

“Caring Connections reallocated a Kaiser grant of $13,000 that we received, and reallocated it to grocery money,” said Sanchez. “We went out and bought $9,000 gift cards, and we are going to distribute that to 125 other families that aren’t even coming here today.”

Sanchez says that there will be another distribution held in the future.