Grant helps Grace Resources buy fresh food

LANCASTER — A $100,000 grant from the Southern California Gas Co. Community Investment Fund will help Grace Resources purchase fresh produce, proteins and better nutrition for distribution to needy families.

The grant is the largest one ever received by the nonprofit organization in its 32-year history. The name of the project is Feeding the Antelope Valley.

“It honestly could not come at a better time because our food lines are as long as they’ve ever been,”

Executive Director Jeremy Johnson said Monday. “We thought COVID would be the peak of our groceries, not even close.”

He added the organization will be able to better meet the need with better quality food thanks to the grant.

“I’m grateful for SoCalGas and their commitment to serving people in the Antelope Valley because this isn’t just a Lancaster grant, this is helping people in Rosamond, Mojave, Acton, Neenach, all the way out to Pearblossom,” Johnson said.

In March, SoCalGas committed $10 million to community resourc

es, including $4 million to the Fueling Our Communities program, a collaboration with local food banks and nonprofit organizations throughout the service territory, said Rob Duchow, Public Affairs manager for SoCalGas.

“It provides meals and groceries to the thousands of Californians who are facing food insecurity,” Duchow said.

Duchow added they made the $10 million commitment after natural gas prices spiked in this winter, in particular the month of January.

“Which we know impacted our customers,” he said. “Some people had to make decisions on which bills to pay.”

In recognition of that, SoCalGas made the $10 million commitment to provide some relief to low-income families, seniors and restaurants who felt a larger impact from the unprecedented prices, Duchow said.

Grace Resources provides food to 16 organizations which then distribute to the community. The nonprofit delivers groceries to about 200 households each week in Lancaster through Project Door Drop. They also deliver about 600 bags of groceries a week to six senior centers in Lancaster and Palmdale.

Johnson blamed inflationary pressures on families for the increased need.

“Our food distributions have gotten higher and higher and higher,” he said.

When Johnson walked the lines to speak with the families, he has had some say they could never imagine needing the center’s help. People are having to choose between paying bills and buying food.

“These inflationary pressures have gotten so hard on families that it’s been a challenge to put food on the table,” Johnson said.

Due to the increased need Grace Resources has needed to purchase more food. The nonprofit spends about $15,000 a month on food. Food distributions at Grace Resource Center have increased by nearly 260% over the past two years. In May 2021 the center provided food for 1,333 households, in May 2022 they did 2,220 households, and this past May it was 4,768 households. Last year the center distributed 62,711 groceries to families. The number does not include groceries distributed to senior centers or delivered through Project Door Drop.

“We’re well on pace to break last year’s numbers,” Johnson said.

The nonprofit buys groceries through grocery wholesalers Sysco and Simco. It also gets some food bank food for free, pays the delivery cost on other deliveries and buys the remainder. The food bank costs have increased from about $1,000 a month to $4,500.

The grant funds will also help purchase a new refrigerator for food storage.