Unloading our trucks requires military precision!
In 2007, Helping Hand Worldwide extended our reach of support when we began food distributions for servicemen and women at Camp Pendleton. Newly enlisted soldiers and their families desperately needed our help due to the high cost of living in California. Our expansion to the sprawling Marine Base, located in southern Orange County and northern San Diego County, was extraordinary because we were able to bring the food directly onto the base. Today, hundreds of young military families as well as single Marines are living on the brink of poverty and need help with food insecurity. Our innovative Mobile Food Pantry serves up to 5,000 soldiers and their families within the Camp Pendleton community. The difference we make is truly heartwarming.
Every Tuesday morning our trucks pick up fresh produce, meat, chicken and eggs, low-fat dairy products and whole grain products donated by our grocery retailers. The food we distribute is kept at a safe, cold temperature on our refrigerated trucks as it is transported to Camp Pendleton. Our trucks arrive on base to long lines of waiting recipients, mostly military wives with toddlers and babies in tow. Since the majority of the food delivered is perishable, the program at Camp Pendleton requires military precision to mobilize volunteers, unload trucks and organize the large quantities of food. Food is set up on long tables at community centers in the housing communities we serve. Recipients can choose the food they need and want the most from the large quantities of healthy items we have available.
In addition to our Mobile Food Pantry, our Expanded Services Program supports our troops by providing other basic necessities. Helping Hand Worldwide presently distributes fresh food and other goods each and every week. The Mobile Food Pantry is unique because it eliminates the need for our soldiers to seek help from a food warehouse off base. Our program is remarkable because we distribute food every Tuesday, rain or shine. Our military families know they can depend on us and that gives them some much needed peace of mind.