DOWNEY — Last year’s unprecedented economic slowdown and job loss due to the COVID-19 contagion resulted in millions of people losing the ability to secure food for their families.

For its exceptional response to this crisis and service to those in need, Downey’s local food bank, FoodHelp, has been named Nonprofit of the Year by California Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, District 58.

The award is a feature of California Nonprofits Day, now in its sixth year, which seeks to promote recognition for the impact nonprofits have throughout the community. Garcia’s representative, Chad Oberly, explains that the usual fanfare will be scaled down this year because of pandemic considerations, but FoodHelp will be recognized by the assemblywoman through a resolution from the state capital. She will also be meeting with the leadership team to congratulate them personally.

“I am just thrilled to know that our local FoodHelp will be receiving this recognition,” says Downey Mayor Claudia Frometa. “This goes to show how important they are to this city and community, and the tireless effort and work of all the people who contribute and help daily. They distribute the food on Saturday morning, but there is a lot that goes into getting the food and packaging and sorting it.”

Jim Wilkinson of FoodHelp reported that at the height of the crisis, the number of families being served on Saturdays more than tripled to over seven hundred per week. There were days that the line for assistance, starting at Fourth St. near La Reina Ave., wound around the block and back on itself with people following pandemic protocols—wearing masks and maintaining safe social-distancing. To accommodate the greater number of people needing assistance, FoodHelp also extended its hours, opening an hour earlier at 8:00 a.m. 

With widespread vaccination spurring economic recovery and people returning to work, FoodHelp reports that the number of families served every Saturday has now dropped to about two hundred and thirty.

Founded in 2005, FoodHelp grew into a well-run organization staffed completely by committed volunteers. The current Director is Marty Fehn, a volunteer who works his own fulltime day job during the week.

FoodHelp is known for its distribution of healthy fresh produce as well as staples. “Our trucks are running every day of the week,” reports Wilkinson. Volunteers make regular rounds to pick up donations from local markets and restaurants. Sometimes FoodHelp is able to offer meat or fish from the Los Angeles County food bank.

Volunteer Beth Gendreau estimates that between fifty and sixty people show up for the Friday preparation and Saturday distribution. On Fridays, starting at 7:00 a.m., volunteers repackage bulk quantities into smaller units for families or individuals. 

“We have volunteers who work all night,” explains Pam Labrin, “then go home, eat, shower, then come straight here and are here sometimes for six hours helping out.” Volunteers come from surrounding communities as well as Downey. Christian Aguilar, who helps out on Saturdays, lives in Watts and works at a warehouse during the week.

The method for Saturday distributions only needed to be modified slightly for pandemic protocols. Prior to 2020, a volunteer (often a high school student) with a cart was assigned to aid each family in line by loading up selections and transferring the food to a car. Under pandemic protocols, food was prepackaged to avoid unnecessary handling; volunteers also kept clients more separated.

Located on the campus of the Downey First Christian Church, FoodHelp is an independent organization that networks with a large array of other—business, civic, political, religious—organizations. This history and practice of cooperation is what enabled the group to quickly meet the needs of the growing numbers of people facing food insecurity.

“They really stepped up and helped the community,” says Downey Councilwoman Blanca Pacheco. “I’m excited that they were named Nonprofiit of the Year.”

Increase in Donations

Early in the pandemic, with California under strict lockdown orders, there was a “phenomenal” increase in donations says Wilkinson. The Dole Company in Ventura sent them several truckloads of produce. Gendreau recalls that some volunteers had to be on hand to meet trucks that arrived at 4:30 in the morning.

“We’re still totally surprised about where the food all comes from,” Wilkinson muses. “We have regular donors like a lot of grocery stores; but we also have produce companies that give to us every week.  And sometimes they’ll give us like eight pallets, a truckload, and sometimes they’ll give us like sixteen pallets. We used to be happy with boxes of food. Now we’re getting pallets of food.” When donated food is beyond local needs, FoodHelp becomes a mini-distributor itself—sharing with community groups and churches.

Increased donations during the pandemic meant a need for increased storage. A $50,000 donation from the Kaiser Permanente Foundation enabled the group to erect a permanent 25-by-50-foot building. Supervisor Janice Hahn arranged funds for a walk-in cooler. Whole Foods Market donated shelving.

One critical acquisition was a forklift to move all the pallets of donated food. “We went to Papé Material Handling,” said Wilkinson, “and told them what we were looking for and they said, we’ll give you one for half price.”

The abundance of donated food is not all that is needed for FoodHelp to carry out its mission. Wilkinson explains why there is always a need for donated funds. The trucks require frequent and expensive maintenance. “We drive the wheels off them,” he says. One truck also had its catalytic convertor stolen—twice.

Mayor Frometa reports that the city plans to continue prioritizing the needs of its more vulnerable residents. The city conducted two distribution events last year, one with Asw. Garcia and one with Supervisor Hahn. Frometa’s goal is to continue this in the future.

FoodHelp is located at 10900 La Reina Ave., and is open every Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon. Their phone number is (562) 862-2438. More information can be found on its Facebook page.