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 the Cabrillo Family Resource Center school site (located on La Playa Avenue in Seaside) on Tuesday and Friday mornings, preparing approximately 250-300 food bags for our unsheltered homeless in Monterey County.
- · Deliver bags in batches to approximately 10 designated locations scattered throughout the Peninsula and beyond. We anticipate this distribution of food will last at minimum through the end of June.
- · 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.
- · We will assign you with specific encampment locations on the Monterey Peninsula where food is to be delivered. Food will be delivered on Tuesdays and Fridays. At the encampment sites, you will meet a “lead” individual at each location who will receive the bags and make sure they are distributed to the individuals in that encampment.
· Access our LOCC APP via your phone (Volunteer Delivery APP) for each encampment you deliver to that will allow you to record current information as well as any health concerns needing immediate attention.
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 $22/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, MPUSD which has graciously opened up one of its' school sites where food will be 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 will be expanded from there as needs are made known. 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 $22/week. With approximately 500 individuals and families living in encampments on the Peninsula, that represents about $10,000 each week, or nearly $60,000 through the end of May. We anticipate expanding to 1,000 individuals and hence will need over $120,000 by the end of May. While this number is substantial, with many sponsors and participants, this goal is achievable. Will you consider being a sponsor if you are able? 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.
