Hands4Hope - Youth Making a Difference is excited to announce that starting in early January we will be opening our Emergency Food Pantry out of the Placerville Youth Center!
Youth Emergency Food Pantry Committee members Jayce, Jennifer, Emma and Meghna have been working hard with adult mentors and staff on all aspects of making this new project a success.
They have spent time inventorying and sorting all the food from the Fall Food Roundup, as well as donations from other drives within the community that have chosen to benefit this new food pantry. They have taken the steps to receive their food handler cards, researched how much food will be placed in each box depending on family size, and have distributed food baskets (donated from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department and Blue Shield of California) to those in need for both the Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks.
“Being able to provide food to those in need allows me to find the good in our community, especially during the pandemic. The ability to be part of the committee building this pantry allows me to feel a sense of purpose and a part of my community.” Emma Lopez, Hands4Hope Food Pantry Committee & El Dorado High School sophomore
When the pantry officially opens in January, it will be working with both El Dorado County Office of Education and Placerville Union School District to identify families experiencing food insecurity.
Their initial goal is to distribute food twice a month and serve 10 families at each distribution. Once the pantry is established, we would like to expand the number of families and agencies we work with.
Please keep an eye out for an update after we have started our regular distribution. If you would like more information about the Emergency Food Pantry or are interested in joining the Emergency Food Pantry Committee, please email foodpantry@hands4hopeyouth.org