Rising Stars: Meet Amy Beekley The Food Pantry Of The Episcopal Church Of St. Andrew And St. Charles of Granada Hills, CA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Beekley The Food Pantry Of The Episcopal Church Of St. Andrew And St. Charles.

Amy Beekley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The Food Pantry of The Episcopal Church of St. Andrew and St. Charles was established in the 1970’s. Not only was food distributed from the church, but they also made hot meals to feed unhoused people in the Hansen Dam area of Pacoima. During this time, they established a deep sense of community and caring by serving and eating the food with the people, and getting to know them. In the 1980’s the Food Pantry transitioned to making and delivering sandwiches to AIDS clinics, where patients would wait for hours in line for treatment. Currently, the Food Pantry is distributing non-perishable food, meat / fish, and fresh produce from the church at 16651 Rinaldi St. Granada Hills, CA on Thursdays from 9:30 to 10:30. The sense of community and caring has continued, and can be seen in the friendly chats between clients, and the connection between the clients and the Food Pantry volunteers. No one is made to feel unwelcome or ashamed – everyone is welcomed and met with a friendly good morning. We often chat to check up on family members, or just give a caring ear on a tough day. The clients are retirees, veterans, families, and unhoused individuals. We have clients that pick up food for homebound friends and family. It is not unusual for a client to stop and thank us for being there and all the work we do, and we appreciate them for creating a meaningful connection to the community. The volunteers that make up the Food Pantry are an amazing group of people that put in hours of their own time to make sure that our community is welcomed and fed every week. Any one of them would tell you they get more out of their experience than they put into it – from the connections with fellow volunteers, to the opportunity to help others, the experience creates an intense sense of purpose and fulfillment.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The path to creating a sustainable Food pantry has not been a smooth one. In 2022, the church was funding the Food Pantry. The costs were increasing, and we were concerned that we might have to reduce services. We reached out to other food pantries, and looked for a better way. In this search, we found The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) – a federal program that provides food to food pantries. We applied for, and were accepted into this program. One issue – the food distribution center was in Long Beach. For almost two years, volunteers rented vans and drove from Granada Hills to Long Beach and back to get the food. It was a lot of work, but the clients were thrilled with the increased amount of food, as well as the addition of meat and fresh produce. Eventually, we were able to partner with the LA Regional Food Bank, and get our food delivered. We also partner with the Chabad of Northridge to provide delicious pre-made meals. All of this occurred just in time to meet the increasing needs to the Food Pantry.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
The Volunteers from the Food Bank come from a variety of careers – legal, entertainment, accounting, HR, PE teacher, IT, insurance, project management, administration, family therapy, HVAC repair and medical device. Some of our volunteers are retired, and some are still working, but have some flexibility in their schedules. Our specialty is being “small but mighty” – we have about 15 highly efficient volunteers feeding 90-100 clients and their families every week. Our clients always tell us that our Food Pantry is special because we are so friendly and easy to use. It is not unusual to have an impromptu sing-along to “You are My Sunshine” or “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” while in line. Clients even help arrange chairs inside for everyone on rainy days. Our goal is to make everyone leave with a smile.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I think the most important thing when first starting out is to to talk to other food pantries, and go see their operations. You will need to look for the people, food sources, facilities, and equipment you will need to get started. Look into grants – we were able to get a commercial refrigerator, wire shelving, a cart and a hand-truck. Learn safe food handling practices and procedures. It will be challenging at first, but it is worth it!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.2saints.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/2saintschurch?igsh=MzRIODBiNWFIZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/2saintsgranadahills
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCve1K-AWmC6xqu4_B-LQXzQ
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-episcopal-church-st-andrew-and-st-charles-granada-hills-2

Image Credits
Amy Beekley, Caris Giampietro