At 9AM, Maria, our kitchen manager / cook, and kitchen volunteers arrive to begin preparing the day's meal. We have both long- and short-term volunteers that assist in the kitchen, including individuals who are completing community service hours.

Each day, Maria and the volunteers prepare a nutritious, well-balanced meal that includes:

• Main dish that provides protein
• Cooked vegetable
• Side dish, such as beans, rice, potatoes
• Green salad
• Fresh fruit, when available
• Bread
• Dessert
• Beverage

Most of the food that we prepare comes from Second Harvest Food Bank or local business donors. Maria draws on her fifteen years of experience in the cooking and catering industry to create wonderful meals with the ingredients available.

While Maria and the volunteers are busy in the kitchen, Vicky, our bilingual (English, Spanish) pantry manager, serves the pantry clients. The pantry is open from 9:00 to 11:30 AM to distribute groceries to households in need. Many are working poor families with children; others are elderly and disabled people.

We serve folks from around the area on an emergency basis. These emergency food assistance clients are typically referred to us by the Community Food Hotline (831-662-0991). We also serve permanent clients who reside in our designated service area (the neighborhoods of Watsonville, west of Main Street) and need food assistance on an on-going basis. Each time they visit, pantry clients check in with Vicky and complete or update the required paperwork.

Clients may receive groceries from Loaves and Fishes twice a month. The amount of food varies by family size. Our pantry volunteer, Teresa, packs the pantry bag, with some input from the client. The groceries that we distribute come from Second Harvest Food Bank, community food drives, and local donations.

Subject to availability, the pantry bag includes:

Non-perishables:

• Canned beans
• Soup / stew
• Canned vegetable
• Canned fruit
• Peanut Butter
• Tomato sauce
• Canned tuna or chili beans
• Dry beans
• Rice
• Pasta or macaroni and cheese
• Cereal
• Crackers
• Dry Milk

Perishables:

• Bread
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Frozen vegetables

The number of pantry clients that we serve varies seasonally. We see more folks toward the end of the month, when money is tight. We serve between 200 and 600 unduplicated households through our pantry each month. In 2007, we distributed 200,000 pounds of food to clients of the pantry program. In addition, we assist clients with referrals to other community agencies, programs, and services to help them meet their other needs.

At 11:30 AM, the pantry closes and the staff and volunteers focus on making final preparations for lunch. From the mid-morning, lunch program clients arrive at Loaves and Fishes, sign in on the lunch registration sheet, and receive a numbered card. At 12 noon, the lunch service begins.

Clients are called up to the lunch counter by their assigned number. Maria and the volunteers fill the clients' plates with a nutritious, hearty lunch, and they select a seat at one of the tables in our outdoor dining area. The clients visit with each other and the volunteers and staff. There is a sense of camaraderie and community at Loaves and Fishes.

After everyone has been served their first plate, Maria and the volunteers serve second helpings. For many clients, their lunch at Loaves and Fishes is their only hot meal of the day.

The number of lunch clients varies seasonally, from 40 in the summer months up to 100 during the winter, when there is little work available in the local agricultural sector. In 2007, Loaves and Fishes served more than 17,000 meals to hungry migrant farmworkers and elderly, disabled, and homeless individuals.

After lunch, a few clients assist Maria and the kitchen volunteers with clean up - washing the pots, pans, and lunch trays; cleaning the tables, dining area, and kitchen; and taking out the garbage and recyclables.