Today we’d like to introduce you to Bradley Grose.
Hi Bradley, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Santa Clarita Grocery: A Story of Service and Resilience
Having spent much of my career at The Walt Disney Company, lastly as Executive Director of Global Creative, I began looking for ways to serve my local community beyond the corporate world. That opportunity presented itself when a local food bank needed a brand upgrade to revive its struggling operations. I joined their meetings and was eventually invited to serve on their board of advisors. However, just nine months later, the faltering pantry shut down.
During that time, I had the privilege of meeting the real backbone of the operation—the dedicated volunteers. After careful consideration, I reached out to these individuals with a simple but crucial question: “These children and families still need food. Would you be willing to continue volunteering if we launched a new food bank?” Without hesitation, every single one of them responded with a resounding YES.
A New Beginning
With urgency, we sought a way to operate legally and efficiently. We reached out to the Santa Clarita Coalition, a well-respected charity founded by Carl Goldman, Jeri-Seratti Goldman and Diane Green, asking if we could operate under their EIN while applying for our own 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. They generously provided us a six-month window to get our paperwork in order. With our launch strategy to be centrally located, we also began the search for a warehouse in mid-city Santa Clarita.
Around that time, hunting for key partners, I ran into Kevin Pisano at the American Legion Squadron 507 in Newhall, where I serve as the historian. Kevin, an outreach pastor at Real Life Church in Valencia, CA, was spearheading monthly community outreach programs offering clothing, haircuts, showers, and food for those in need. Our connection with him was immediate, and the timing couldn’t have been better. In sharing our vision with him, he suggested we meet with the leadership of Real Life Charities, the church’s non-religious outreach initiative.
Within two weeks, we signed an agreement allowing us to operate under Real Life Charities’ EIN, eliminating the need for our own 501(c)(3). Our agreement was to be reviewed annually to ensure we were aligned apples-2-apples, however, normal for startups, within nine months, our start up was growing faster and out pacing their ability to keep up. Recognizing the need for speed, we all agreed to transition back to the Santa Clarita Disaster Coalition—this time, for our permanent home—while continuing a strong relationship with Real Life partners.
Establishing Santa Clarita Grocery
As the Santa Clarita Disaster Coalition had long been the premier disaster relief charity in the Santa Clarita Valley, with the launch of Santa Clarita Grocery Food Bank, we became the leading humanitarian relief organization in the region a perfect pairing of resources, both disaster and humanitarian relief.
However, just three months into our journey, we faced an unexpected challenge: the defunct food pantry we had decided to relaunch and sued us in an attempt to shut us down. This legal battle, though annoying, became a defining moment—rallying our team together like never before. If you don’t know, there is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer!
We organized our volunteers who took on key leadership roles: Barry took on Transportation and Partner Relations, Jill took on Community Outreach and Scheduling volunteer teams, Susie and Karen took on Intake QC and Distribution Prep, Dan took on Supply Chain, Sharon took on the incoming and outgoing Gift in Kind (GIK) while I focused on sustaining our business development efforts. Other key founders were Michael & JuDee, Jim & Dottie, Mary, Nadia, Carl & Jeri and several others. Of all our founding members they all remain actively involved today, 7-years later, with 125+ regular volunteers strong!
As we found our rhythm, we began navigating the politics of doing good. We were fortunate to establish a partnership with our local Hometown Station, KHTS Radio 97.1 FM which became a news sponsor, managing our social media, covering our events and connecting us with local city officials and L.A. County leaders—critical for securing food at scale.
By January 2020, 14 months in, we were serving 62 families per month, averaging 288 individuals and providing 14 meals per week to each household visit (16,128 monthly meals).
Then Came COVID-19… At the end of 2019, whispers of a global pandemic began surfacing. By early 2020, the world turned upside down. In just 90 days (January–April 2020), we grew from 62 families to 800 families—a staggering 3,600 individuals relying on us for food, however, with stores shutting down daily and supply chains disrupted, the question loomed, how could we meet this overwhelming demand?
A Lifeline: USDA’s Farmers to Families Program
One of our key early relationships turned out to be a miracle. Joan, CEO of the Child and Family Center, reached out about a USDA program called Farmers to Families. The initiative provided fresh produce, dairy, and meat to food banks and nonprofits serving those in need.
Originally, the USDA approached CAL ARTS, which declined due to refrigeration limitations. CAL ARTS then referred the program to the Child and Family Center, which also couldn’t accommodate it. When Joan asked if we were interested, our response was an immediate YES. We applied and, to our amazement, Santa Clarita Grocery was accepted into the program.
Starting May 15, 2020, we received three tons of farm-fresh food delivered every Friday to our warehouse, ensuring we could meet the growing demand of people without jobs, without food and fearful for their lives. We formed a team led by volunteer Christine Price and her children who were out of school due to the Safer-At-Home Order. She brought in a team of friends who also brought their children who were at home, to break down the 3-tons of food delivered each Friday delivered by Vesta Food Services, including the Patris family who had 3 brothers volunteering.
However, as the demand grew, so did State and County wide restrictions. Although we were now meeting the new demand of 800 families, more and more food resources were shut down by Los Angeles County, and we feared the same, which would close down our operation.
Then, Another Miracle
L.A. District Supervisor Kathryn Barger reached out and informed us that Santa Clarita Grocer was deemed an “Essential Service” to the Santa Clarita Valley. We were now secure in keeping our doors open and the only open food bank open serving the Santa Clarita Valley. We masked up, wore gloves, and constantly used an 85% alcohol-based sanitizer created just for the pandemic by Bocchi Laboratories, a local leading full-service beauty and personal care manufacturing company. We also distributed handmade masks crafted by our volunteers and hand sanitizer along with the groceries. Our new normal became moving tons and tons of food monthly, distributing groceries three times weekly, and did not close once during the entire pandemic, transforming and redefining what volunteer service looks like!
Innovating Through Crisis
Before the pandemic, guests would shop inside our warehouse, selecting their own fruit, vegetables and groceries but we were limited to 12 shoppers at a time due to warehouse occupancy requirements. By quickly adapting, we created a new system to deliver groceries directly to cars while maintaining social distancing. Guests would sign in and receive a numbered cone to put on their car (much like an auto dealership), return to their car and pop the trunk. Our courageous Volunteers (runners) ran their groceries out to their car in food carts, loaded them into their trunk, ensuring minimal contact and distancing. This unexpected change allowed an increase efficiency by 400%, serving 10 times more families in the same 2-hour distribution timeframe.
Six months into the pandemic, the Patris brothers—Alex (17), Jonathon (15), and Nathan (13)—approached me with a desire to do more than just volunteer on Fridays. They had noticed that several of our refrigeration units were in need of replacement. Then came with their inspired idea: “What if we launch a GoFundMe to purchase two new commercial, energy-efficient, 3-door refrigeration units?” Within eight weeks, they reached their fundraising goal of $6,000! Their initiative not only boosted team morale but also inspired another volunteer to fund the purchase of an additional refrigeration unit. We also raised $50K during this period to sustain our operation that was beginning to scale.
This momentum continued when the City of Santa Clarita Valley awarded SCG a grant to purchase several more units. As a result, we were able to replace all of the upright 3-door refrigerators and freezers lining our warehouse with state-of-the-art, 100% energy-saving units—all because three teenage brothers had the vision to look beyond serving.
Our news got to The Greater San Fernando Valley chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) via our volunteer grant writer Kelly Logan. AFP recognized our extraordinary Pandemic efforts during National Philanthropy Day (NPD) awarding Santa Clarita Grocery (Bradley Grose) with the top award for Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser and the Patris brothers awarded the 2021 Youth Philanthropy Award for their dedicated service during the pandemic.
Unexpected Honor
June 2023, we were contacted by the office of California State Senator, Scott Wilk (District 21) who had heard about our efforts. They informed us that Santa Clarita Grocery had been nominated California’s District 21 Nonprofit of the Year! Sentor Wilk said our all volunteer operation was the role model of what true charity looks like. He invited us to participate in California Nonprofits Day at the State Capitol, where he presented us a beautifully framed California Senate Resolution reflecting our service.
Our Impact Today
Post-pandemic, our commitment to service, innovation, and community has only strengthened. In 2024 alone, Santa Clarita Grocery:
•Logged 19,200 volunteer hours
•Served 8,647 children and families (38,911 individuals)
•Provided 544,671 meals
•Distributed 446 tons of repurposed groceries
The heart of our mission remains the same: our volunteers serve with One Heart, One Mind, and One Purpose. We have faced challenges, lawsuits, and unprecedented demand, yet through it all, we have stood strong—because when you lose yourself in service, you find your true heart.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Just three months into our journey, we faced an unexpected challenge: the defunct food pantry we had tried to revive suddenly relaunched and filed a lawsuit in an attempt to shut us down. The legal battle was frustrating—we genuinely feared we might be forced to close. But instead of breaking us, it became a defining moment that brought our team together like never before.
Then, just months later, the Covid-19 pandemic hit. We thought for sure it would take us out of the game. But once again, it only deepened our resilience. It sharpened our mission and gave us the opportunity to press through adversity with renewed purpose.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
In addition to providing weekly groceries to families in need, we run a specialized program called Code 3 Care, which delivers immediate food, chapstick, trail mix and water to firefighters within the first 24 hours of a major wildfire event in the Santa Clarita Valley. One unforgettable moment happened while we were meeting with the L.A. County Fire Battalion Chief at Santa Clarita Valley Fire Station 150. The station’s alarm sounded mid-meeting, marking the very first call of what became known as the Sand Fire. Santa Clarita Grocery responded to both the Sand Fire and the Saddle Ridge Fire, ensuring our first responders had the support they needed.
Santa Clarita Grocery also produces the annual Operation Rolling Gratitude, where cars line up and drive-up and drive through getting a free hotdog lunch with chips & soda to extend gratitude for Santa Clarita Valley veterans, fire and police families.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
1. Never give up, even when the world is in peril.
2. Be Nimble. It will allow you the ability to adapt quickly and innovate on the fly, increasing your chances of developing breakthrough ideas that can be refined and perfected over time.
3. Pursue excellence. Always ask, “How can this be better?” Excellence isn’t a skill—it’s the result of intentional, informed efforts.
Pricing:
- We ask for a contribution to keep our doors open and our guests skin in the game.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://santaclaritagrocery.org/
- Instagram: @santaclaritagrocery2020
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/santaclaritagrocery/
