In 1989, Loaves and Fishes began as an emergency feeding and aid program of St. Patrick's Church of Watsonville, serving hungry and homeless families and individuals. In the aftermath of the 7.1 magnitude Loma Prieta earthquake which struck the area on October 17, 1989, Loaves and Fishes served more than 20,000 meals to thousands of local residents displaced by the disaster. Since that time, Loaves and Fishes has provided food assistance to community members in need every weekday, performing a vital community service.

In 1994, Loaves and Fishes formally separated from St. Patrick's Church (while still operating at St. Patrick's Serra Center) and was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We now operate under the jurisdiction of a board of directors comprised of unpaid community members.

With generous support from Richard and Mary Solari and many other community donors, Loaves and Fishes purchased and renovated a Victorian house on Second Street. The Solari House was dedicated in June of 2000 and has served as our site of operations since that time. The house has become a gathering place for the Loaves and Fishes community, where clients not only receive needed services, but also meet and visit with each other and lend their time and talents as volunteers.

In our nineteen years of service to the community, we have served more than 210,000 hot lunches and distributed more than 115,000 bags of groceries to working poor families, migrant farmworkers, and homeless, elderly, and disabled individuals through our lunch and pantry programs.