GALT, CA (MPG) - The Sunshine Food Pantry & Resource Center has long been a pillar of support for residents, offering a dependable source of food to help families keep meals on their tables during difficult times.

Since 2009, the pantry has operated in the spirit of giving back, sustained by community members who donate their time, effort and funds to support its mission. About 20 volunteers, most of them seniors, work together to serve families throughout Galt and nearby areas.

“We all work well together; we try to have a good time. We try to make everybody feel welcome when they come,” said executive director Faye Gaines.

The pantry operates out of the Galt United Methodist Church, located at 571 C St., which often has lines wrapping around the sidewalk corners on distribution days. 

Every second and fourth Thursday of the month from 8 to 11 a.m., volunteers arrive early to transform the church into a functioning food pantry. They move furniture and supplies to prepare for recipients to pick up food. When distribution ends, everything is returned to its original place.

 

A volunteer assists recipients with check-in and records the number of people in their household during food distribution.

Recipients check in upon arrival and indicate the number of individuals in their household, which helps determine how much food they receive. The pantry provides shelf-stable foods, fresh produce, eggs, bread and, more recently, a wider variety of proteins and frozen items for families to make complete meals. Other essentials, such as diapers and clothing, are also available.

As part of its outreach, Sunshine Pantry volunteers also deliver boxes of food and produce every Wednesday to about six low-income senior apartments.

Food donations come from local stores, including Raley’s, Savemart and Walmart, which volunteers pick up throughout the week. The pantry also partners with the Sacramento Food Bank and other family service organizations. Donations of canned goods, soups and vegetables are always welcome, while monetary contributions help the pantry purchase additional food not available through other sources.

Over the years, Gaines said, the pantry has become a lifeline for many residents and families facing food insecurity. 

“We’ve had people that have come in and they’re crying,” she said, explaining that many share how, if it weren’t for the pantry, they wouldn’t have food on the table or a Thanksgiving meal. 

 

Volunteers fill recipients’ personal carts, bags and boxes with fresh produce at the Oct. 23 distribution.

“It’s heartbreaking to see that but it makes us very proud of who we are and what we’re doing to know that we’re helping those people,” said Gaines. 

She shared that former clients return years later just to say hello and thank the volunteers for their help, while others who have relied on the pantry since its early days still stop by when they need assistance.

Gaines, a longtime Herald and Galt resident, began as a volunteer at the pantry 15 years ago with the goal of reflecting the city’s spirit of care and community support. Gaines’ experience as a teacher in the local school district showed her how many families struggled with basic needs, inspiring her to provide a space where everyone would feel welcome and supported.

“I think just the warmth that our volunteers show to the people that come through, they always have a kind word for them,” Gaines said.

Volunteer Mark King, who joined the pantry in 2020, said his involvement began during the COVID-19 pandemic when the Galt Sunrise Rotary Club was unable to host in-person community events. 

 

Sunshine Food Pantry & Resource Center, Inc. is a local community nonprofit organization that is open the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 8 to 11 a.m. at Galt United Methodist Church, 571 C St.

“As a community service organization, Rotarians are people of action,” King said. “We were told the Sunshine Food Pantry needed help and I’ve been volunteering there ever since. That was my inspiration.”

Since Rotary members got involved, King said, the pantry’s physical space has grown by about 25 percent, supported in part by the Temporary Federal Assistance Program (TFAP) through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. 

“With the implementation of Senate Bill (SB) 1383, the quantity and variety of protein and other food items available has increased by roughly 50%,” King said. “The need has increased commensurate with the various other factors at play, including housing affordability, employment opportunities and lack of other forms of assistance to some of Galt’s most vulnerable.”

King added that it was clear how great the demand was when he began helping at the Sunshine Food Pantry & Resource Center. 

“When I began volunteering on distribution days, it was immediately apparent by the sheer number of seniors, moms with kids and other community members lining up so early in the morning, some as early as 4 or 5 a.m., in often inclement weather,” King said. “This, in addition to the amount of local, individual donations and contributions, signified that the community knew the need existed as well.”

Some Sunshine Food Pantry & Resource Center, Inc. food donations, such as canned goods, are supported in part by the Temporary Federal Assistance Program (TFAP) through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

The process of setting up and taking down the pantry each week will soon ease as operations move into a new building behind the church by December. The new facility includes an exterior refrigeration unit donated by SMUD to help better preserve food.

As the pantry readies for its holiday distribution, Gaines shared her gratitude for the donors and volunteers who make their work possible, noting that despite occasional challenges, the spirit within the pantry remains one of warmth and thankfulness.

“We definitely want to have the time to show our appreciation to everybody that helps us,” she said. “Individuals that walk in with a bag of groceries, individuals that walk in with a bag of clothes… Just the fact there’s so much warmth and the love that’s shown to everybody, I think, is what is most important to me.”

To learn more about donating to the Sunshine Food Pantry & Resource Center and supporting its ongoing operations, visit sunshinefoodpantrygalt.org.

The pantry continually welcomes contributions to help meet the growing needs of the community that can be made through online payment at account.venmo.com/u/SunshineFoodPantry.

 

Scan QR code to donate to the Sunshine Food Pantry.