Like other food pantries, since COVID began, The Pasadena Salvation Army Tabernacle Corps has seen a large increase in the number of families and individuals in need of their food services.
The Salvation Army is still serving the many who have needed their services before, but now are also serving people who, for the first time ever, find themselves in need of help from a food pantry.
“We currently are serving many families/households who have lost their jobs or have had a big reduction in hours,” said Captain Terry Masango, Corps Officer of the Pasadena Tabernacle Corps. “For this reason, our pantry provides full food boxes for each household and the amount is tailored to the size of the family,” adding that they are providing more food than before and even allowIng families to return for additional perishable items two weeks after receiving their monthly food box.
“We would not be able to meet this increase in demand for food, if it were not for the financial support from organizations like the LA Regional Food Bank and the Pasadena Tournament of Roses,” he said.
The funds allowed the Salvation Army to spend larger amounts procuring food from the LA Regional Food Bank and other wholesale stores. In addition, the funds allowed them to place weekly orders with Driftwood Dairy for items like eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter.
“We are very fortunate to be able to provide families these key staple items,” said Masango.
In addition to the services mentioned above, The Salvation Army has also seen a large increase in the number of people coming to receive food from their daily donation program, which targets individuals experiencing homelessness.
“On average we see between 50-65 people a day come through our door for this program, serving about 1200 people each month,” said Masango. “With the funds we received, we have also been able to purchase ready to eat pop-top foods to add to the options available with the daily donations.”
To learn more about The Salvation Army Pasadena, please watch the video above. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Jhoana Hirasuna, Director of Social Services, at jhoana.hirasuna@usw.salvationarmy.org or (626) 529-0503.
