Grace Resources not only serves its neighbors, but has become a hub for Food Bank partner agencies in the vast Antelope Valley.

For 35 years, Grace Resources in Lancaster, California, has served as a lifeline for families throughout the Antelope Valley. As one of the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank’s trusted partner agencies, Grace Resources plays a vital role in ensuring that nutritious food reaches households in an area where distances are long, poverty rates are high, and access to grocery stores and/or healthy food items is often limited.

Providing Food Assistance in the Antelope Valley

Located nearly 60 miles north of Downtown Los Angeles, the Antelope Valley can feel like a world of its own. Its rural layout, limited public transportation, and widespread food deserts make something as simple as buying groceries an overwhelming challenge for many residents. 

As Jeremy Johnson, Executive Director of Grace Resources, explains, “There are really no grocery stores within walking distance. The Antelope Valley is vast—and you may have a long walk, or even a long Uber or taxi ride, to your closest supermarket.”

Every Monday morning, a 53-foot Food Bank trailer arrives at Grace Resources, offloading pallets of essential food and household items. Grace Resources also operates as a distribution hub for 27 other partner agencies throughout the Antelope Valley, ensuring that Food Bank resources reach as many neighbors as possible.

A Partnership That Provides Nutrition Security

Grace Resources currently hosts grocery distributions every week, serving more than 110 households at a single distribution. Prior to the partnership with the Food Bank, neighbors would take home only shelf-stable items. But thanks to its partnership with the Food Bank, families now take home robust, nutritious groceries: fresh produce, proteins, dairy, bread, as well as shelf-stable items that can help provide up to 14 meals for a family of four in a single week. 

“Five years ago, someone would leave with a bag of shelf-stable items—not enough for a couple of meals,” Jeremy says. “Today, everyone leaves with fresh produce, dairy, and protein. We could never do that without the partnership with the Food Bank.”

By supporting the Food Bank, you’re helping provide food to partner agencies like Grace Resources. Consider donating to the Food Bank or volunteering.