This year, Loaves & Fishes celebrates its 35th anniversary of serving the community. From serving eight families out of a closet in St. Raphael Catholic Church in 1984 to our current sizable facility serving nearly 5,000 families a year, our organization has come a long way. Today we’re focused on the overall health of our clients and delivering other programs that help people become more self-sufficient. We have put tremendous thought into how we can become an even more impactful force in the lives of our clients.
The strong dedication from our entire team to provide as much healthy food as possible stems directly from our core values of dignity, service and compassion. Our goal is to provide people with the same quantity and quality of healthy food that others have access to. One of our clients recently said that the food she receives at our facility has greatly helped her manage prediabetes. She refers to Loaves & Fishes as her “veggie place.” Having such a positive impact on our clients is exactly what we work toward to help break the vicious cycle of low-income leading to food insecurity which leads to health issues, which keeps people in a low-income situation.
Our clients come here for the food, but we have the opportunity – actually maybe the obligation – to help them in other ways. Our Loaves & Fishes CARES Programs help address the multi-faceted issues that may affect families facing food insecurity. A recent graduate of our Moving Up Program acknowledged the difference our programs have made in her family’s life. “Loaves & Fishes really opened my eyes to where we were at, giving us some goals to work toward. They’re helping people become independent.”
In looking back, as the saying goes, we stand on the shoulders of giants – the many volunteers, donors, staff and others in the community who have made an incredible impact on our organization and the community. This support makes transforming lives possible.
