Residents of the Mission Oaks and Fairview Manor mobile home parks in Hollister were treated to a pre-Thanksgiving visit from the Food Angels who distributed boxes of food and frozen whole chickens to brighten their holiday. A project of My Father’s House and Hollister Community Outreach, Food Angels provide free food year-round to those in need, wherever they are.
“Today is what we do just about every day of the week,” said Linda Lampe, executive director of Hollister Community Outreach and My Father’s House. “But today is very special because we are making sure that everybody has a nice Thanksgiving meal.”
220 families at Mission Oaks and 60 families at Fairview Manor each received a box filled with a selection of foods including rice, bread, fresh fruit, potatoes, fresh produce, frozen fish, ground turkey, canned goods and cookies. Turkeys were unavailable this year and were replaced with large frozen chickens. A second delivery on Thanksgiving Day brought a bounty of pumpkin, pecan, and apple pies.
“The line today is pretty long and pretty constant,” Lampe said. “As you can see, people are very excited to see us. And we are glad to help. We know how hard it is to put food on the table sometimes.”
The food has been donated by several sources including Second Harvest and local grocery stores as well as Martha’s Kitchen in San Jose, which provides 1.2 million hot and cold meals and 3 million pounds of groceries annually to non-profit organizations around the state. Grocery Outlet also contributed by way of an in-store fundraiser.
The Food Angels are unpaid volunteers. During the peak of the pandemic, they served about 1,100 families a week and now serve about 850 families a week.
This week’s distribution was limited to occupants of the two mobile home parks, but the regular weekly distributions are open to anyone who needs assistance. The Food Angels truck comes to R.O. Hardin Elementary School on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. until noon, then moves to the 7-11 store at San Benito and Hawkins Street. On Sundays, the truck visits several local churches after services and housing complexes where farm laborers live. Food Angels also partners with the United Farm Workers and the local chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens.
“We think it is important to treat people with respect and dignity,” Lampe said. “That relationship is everything. We never ask for ID or any kind of income eligibility. We’ve never had those barriers. We ask exactly two questions: ‘How are you doing today’ and ‘How many are in your family?’ because we want them to be sure to have enough food for everyone.”
Those in need of the Food Angels outreach program can call or text 831-801-7775 to request assistance.
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