Pasadena Community Foundation announces a round of emergency funding to address unprecedented local need during the holidays. Four local nonprofit organizations will receive $110,000 to assist with food pantries and other social services.
Pasadena-area residents are enduring national 40-year-high inflation rates, and the resulting twin crises of food and housing insecurity has led to dramatic increases in families requesting food assistance from local nonprofit organizations. These organizations report that they are receiving less community donations this year, and what they do receive is not stretching as far as it once did.
Jeannine Bogaard, PCF’s Program Director, notes that during recent conversations with local nonprofits, “we’ve learned that the combined effect of still record-levels of hunger, a decline in Federal food support, and rising cost of food is creating a crisis for food banks and social service agencies. We’re grateful that PCF was able to leverage donor support and end-of-year reserves to step in with critical funding to help feed our neighbors.”
Grantee Organizations
Friends in Deed
Friends in Deed food pantry serves over 500 households per week, with an 18% increase in total number of client visits in 2022 compared to 2021. Friends in Deed will receive $20,000 in emergency funding.
NDLON (National Day Laborers Organizing Network)
NDLON’s Mano a Mano food pantry serves 250 families per week. In December 2022 alone, 41 new families have requested assistance. NDLON will receive $20,000 in emergency funding. Read our August 2022 post about the Mano a Mano senior food pantry.
PACTL (Pasadena Altadena Coalition of Transformative Leaders)
PACTL serves upwards of 150 families per week, and calls for support have increased 50% since January 2022. The organization reports that 56 of its client families are in dire need of help. PACTL will receive $20,000 in emergency funding.
Union Station Homeless Services As the largest provider of social services for homeless and low-income individuals and families in the San Gabriel Valley, Union Station is on the front lines of the current crisis. PCF has granted the organization $50,000 to assist with food and housing initiatives. Union Station will receive $50,000 in emergency funding.
About Food Insecurity
Food insecurity —defined as a consistent disruption in regular eating because of limited money or other resources – leads to hunger and undernourishment. According to a recent USC study, 1 in 4 Los Angeles County residents experience food insecurity. In California, eight million people – or just over 20% of our state’s population – are similarly impacted. Those most likely to suffer food insecurity are low-income, homeless, single parents, undocumented immigrants, people with disabilities, LGBTQ, 65 years and older and young adults.
An October 2022 Consumer Price Index report highlights that grocery prices are 12% higher than in October 2021 – the largest 12-month increase in grocery prices in nearly 42 years. Food banks are reporting that they are spending three times more on purchasing food than they did in 2019.
