The 500 families who visit Saddleback’s food pantry each month receive more than just food. Since its May 2009 opening, volunteers have shared prayer, encouragement, and hope with over 20,000 clients. The ministry developed to provide hope and “strengthen relationships with God,” according to Pantry Coordinator Rana Muncy.
Initially overseen by the Membership Team at Saddleback, the ministry is now led by Pastor of Stewardship Chris Goulard. He and Rana shared remarkable stories of “love in action,” as a large sign proclaims in the pantry’s office.
Seeking comfort and care
A woman who had received food at the pantry returned two weeks later, well before she was eligible for another monthly box of food, seeking refuge after falling victim to domestic violence. “Of all the places she could have turned for help,” Rana said, “she came here. Not to neighbors, family, the police—she came here. She told us, ‘I just need to talk to someone.’” Rana added that other clients return frequently for prayer.
Volunteers at the pantry sort the donated food, stock shelves that are arranged like a grocery store’s aisles, and pack the food into boxes according to a list. Other volunteers host the clients when they arrive, guiding them through the process of enrolling and rolling their food out to the parking lot on a cart. They pray together. “We never rush people,” Pastor Chris said. “Our volunteers talk with them for as long as the conversation continues. No one is a number here.”
Giving food and feeding the soul
A family of four receives a box of canned, boxed, frozen and fresh foods weighing over 75 pounds, “a really full grocery cart’s worth,” Pastor Chris explained. The food is intended to meet their needs for a week. The box also holds scripture verses, booklets, or other inspirational material and a list of local assistance resources. Fifty clients have received Christ at the food pantry and another 48 have recommitted their lives to Him.
Rana shared the story of a young man who came with his neighbor. The neighbor told the pantry host that her friend had not yet accepted Christ, so the host asked him if he would like to. The young man professed his faith on the spot. The next day, he returned with a friend. Rana explained, “’This guy really needs Christ in his life,’ he said.” She laughed. “A one-day believer and he’s bringing us other people!” The next week, the young man returned with yet another friend so he could also hear the gospel.
Pastor Chris and Rana agreed that “our number one strength is our ministry” and they focus on raising up volunteers by ministering to them. “We fill them up so they can flow into our clients,” he explained. They’ve also seen their volunteers grow through serving God. Debbie, a volunteer who initially wanted to remain in the sorting area in the warehouse, was gently led to come into the offices, then to join with hosts as they prayed with client families. “Debbie was the first volunteer to lead a client to Christ,” Rana announced proudly. “And since that time, she’s probably led another 15 of the 50,” Pastor Chris added.
Using space carved out of an existing church warehouse, Saddleback’s pantry distributes food donated by church members or by corporate partners. Starbucks Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels contribute day-old goods. Post Cereals and Kraft Foods have donated food by the pallet. Just4Tires sent a team to Costco to buy food—using money that had been earmarked for their holiday party—then some the tire store staff used a vacation day to come in and stock the shelves. Cash donations are used to purchase food to “fill in” items needed to pack the boxes with a balanced variety of nutritious foods. Currently, the pantry is distributing 37,500 pounds of food a month. About a quarter of its clients are Saddleback members; the rest come from the local community. Ten to 25 percent of clients are visiting a food pantry for the first time. They range from unemployed professionals to homeless families. “We had some here yesterday who asked for water, because they’d walked,” Rana said.
For more information on the food pantry, please contact us at (949) 609-8757.
You can make a difference with as little as ONE bag of food per month. Fill a grocery bag and drop it off at Ministry Office 1 during the week or in the big blue barrels on the weekend.