Second Harvest Food Bank OC

Mission To end hunger in Orange County. We are a purpose-driven organization committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure all are well fed. Providing dignified, equitable and consistent access to nutritious food creates a foundation for community health and is a catalyst for societal transformation.

Strategy Statement We solicit and coordinate donations, grants, fundraising, virtual food drives, food rescue from the food industry, harvesting and volunteer to supply nutritious food, along with education and advocacy, for those experiencing food insecurity through non-profit pantries and partners. We constantly seek innovative cost-effective ways to reach people. Second Harvest is a member of Feeding America.

Values Our Organizational values are compassion, diversity, integrity, service excellence, and stewardship.

Member Agencies Second Harvest currently has almost 300 partners that serve food insecure individuals in Orange County, including church pantries, shelters, senior centers, rehabilitation centers, and many other emergency assistance organizations.

Clients Through our partners, Second Harvest helps feed more than 490,000 individuals each month (FY2021). Those served include children, seniors on fixed incomes, single parents, the disabled, the homeless and individuals experiencing medical emergencies or recent job layoffs.

Food Sources The primary work of the Food Bank is acquiring and distributing purchased, donated and surplus nutritious food. Sources of donated and surplus food include local grocery stores and supermarket chains, food manufacturers and distributors, restaurants, trade shows, the government, and as of August 2021, our own Harvest Solutions Farm.

Efficiency Each dollar donated provides about three meals to individual in our community, and 96.5 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to our hunger relief programs.