Volunteer Duties
As a volunteer helping make this program happen, we are specifically asking our community volunteers to help with the following:
- · Prepare food bags at merchant site in Seaside on Tuesday and Friday mornings, preparing approximately 200-250 food bags for our unsheltered homeless in Monterey County.
- · Deliver bags in batches to approximately 12 designated locations scattered throughout the Peninsula and beyond. We are hoping to continue food distribution through December, but funding for the project at this point will run out at the end of October.
- · Additional items may occasionally be available to distribute to encampments including fresh produce, blankets, hygiene items, etc. that will be transported to the encampments along with the food bags.
Additionally, if you are so inclined, you can help financially by sponsoring the weekly cost of providing meal bags for one or more homeless persons we will be serving. The cost for a week of food supplies is $10/person. Click on the SPONSOR FOOD FOR HOMELESS button to sponsor one or many homeless individuals. Thank you so much.
During our homeless food crisis while the community shelters in places, LOCC, and its' partners have set up a unique process to both financially support and supply food to homeless encampments around Monterey County. The process minimizes costs by partnering with The Grocery Outlet in Seaside, a local merchant store in Seaside where food is bagged and prepared for delivery by volunteers, and community volunteers like yourself to deliver food bags to encampments around the county. Initial food distribution is focused on the Monterey Peninsula and the Pajaro River area. We are seeking individual, corporate, foundation, and store sponsors for the food supplies as well as some funding available through emergency funds at a state and federal level.
To supply two food bags for a week to each person on the street, the cost is approximately $10/week. With approximately 500 individuals and families living in encampments on the Peninsula, that represents about $5,000 each week, or nearly $60,000 through the end of May. A special fund has been established through the Community Foundation of Monterey County and all donations go directly to pay for food and emergency supplies for our homeless.
The food purchase, packaging, and distribution process at a high-level flow as shown below. Thank you to each of you willing and able to support this important outreach.
