The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank distributes between two and four million pounds of food weekly with the help of our agency network of hundreds other nonprofit organizations across LA County, including Our Saviour Center. 

Our Saviour Center is a nonprofit organization that originated as a community initiative of the Church of Our Saviour in San Gabriel, California. It was established in 1985 with a small food bank operating out of a rented storefront, initially aiming to provide sustenance to disadvantaged families in El Monte. 

The organization remains committed to working alongside residents to address the ongoing and evolving needs of the community. Since its establishment in 1985, the center has grown from a humble food bank to a multifaceted organization that strives to impact the lives of vulnerable individuals and families positively.

Over time, the volunteers at the center gained insight into the community’s various requirements, such as healthcare, childcare and housing.

In response to these needs, Our Saviour Center expanded its services and now offers several programs to support at-risk, low-income families. These programs include Emergency Temporary Housing for homeless individuals and families, Youth Development programs that empower young people in the community and a Food Pantry that receives food products and essentials from the Food Bank.

Finding Reprieve in the Community

Kim Cuc Nguyen attends distributions at the Food Pantry to help offset costs. She shares that she has children who have moved away and some in Vietnam. 

Nguyen wants to receive senior assistance and rent a private room eventually; however, it’s too expensive. After covering her rent and other essential bills, she says buying vegetables at the grocery store is too costly. By attending food distributions at Our Saviour Center, she’s able to receive the food and nutrients she needs. 

“We are very happy,” she says. “We appreciate it. We don’t have money to buy these things. Thank you so much.”

Esparza looks forward to food distributions at Our Saviour Center to help manage his expenses. He can reallocate his limited budget towards essentials like rent, electricity, and gas by receiving this food assistance. Esparza expresses sincere gratitude for the community’s kindness, which allows him to attend these distributions and stretch his resources further.

“I’m here to pick up what’s distributed because it helps me a lot on a daily basis, on every day meals, and all of that because I can’t afford to pay for self sufficiency,” says Esparza.