The Food Pantry provides food assistance to low-income and no-income families in the greater Pasadena and Altadena areas. We are currently providing food to about 400 households per week, totaling approximately 1,000 people. This dynamic and compassion-driven program is the largest at Friends In Deed.
Our Food Pantry is set up like a neighborhood market where our community members can come in and select their own groceries. In addition to providing shelf stable foods like canned goods, dry goods, juice, and cereal, one of our goals is to provide meat & protein, fresh fruits & vegetables, and foods that appeal to the diverse population in our community. When available, we also offer toiletries, diapers & formula, and pet food.
We receive much of our food from the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. We work with local organizations and businesses, including Food Forward (Backyard Harvests & Farmers Markets), Trader Joe’s (Lake Avenue & Eagle Rock), Ralphs (La Canada & La Crescenta), Grocery Outlet – Altadena, and others, to be able to provide fresh produce along with meat & protein. Churches, synagogues, schools, local businesses, groups, and individuals also bring donations to Friends In Deed. We rely heavily on these in-kind donors, and their support is critical to our success.
For more information, call 626.797.6072 or email Tim Nistler, Director of the Food Pantry at pantry@friendsindeedpas.org or Stacey McCarroll Cutshaw, Food Pantry Manager, at staceyc@friendsindeedpas.org.
The Pantry is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 10am to 3pm, and Thursdays from 10am to 1pm. Anyone that is here by 9am on a Food Pantry day, will have a chance at being first when we open, via our Lottery. Anyone that comes after the Lottery has started, will just put their name in the next available slot on the “Sign In” sheet. It doesn’t matter which day people visit the Food Pantry, but they are only allowed to come one time per week for food.
To get registered, we require that identification be brought for each person to be registered in a family, some form of documentation with current address, and proof of low-income status. If a person does not have one, or more, of these requirements, that should not stop them from coming to get food. We will meet with each person and make sure they can get food that day. We hold new registration between 10am and 12pm each day.
If you know someone that would benefit from coming to the Food Pantry, please share this flyer with them. The flyer can be cut into four and distributed freely.
Friends In Deed is located at 444 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104 (on the SE corner of Washington & Los Robles).
WHAT FOOD DO WE NEED?
- OUR GOLD ITEMS: canned tuna/chicken, hearty soups, beef stew, chili, pasta & pasta sauce, peanut butter, cereal, rice, cooking oil, flour, sugar, fruit juice, and vegetable juice (V8)
- Meats & proteins (we have freezers and refrigerators for storage): chicken, beef, pork, fish, prepared packaged meals, cold cuts, tofu, etc.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables – including those from your garden or fruit trees
- Dried beans, oats, other whole grains
- Eggs, milk, yogurt, cheese
- Other: canned fruits & vegetables, canned beans, jelly, soups, other baking items
- Milk (shelf stable or powder)
- Other perishable foods
- Single serve pop-top cans, chicken or tuna pouches, granola bars, Capri Sun drinks, fruit cups, jerky, crackers, and other single serving food for those experiencing homelessness in our community.
- View PDF of Needed Food Items
(Donations are accepted Fridays and Saturdays only, from 9am to 3pm)
If you still aren’t sure what you would like to donate, we always say, “Donate something you would like to eat, because, chances are, someone else will like it too.”
OTHER ITEMS TO DONATE
- Pet food: dogs and cats
- Diapers – all sizes
- Baby formula
- Toiletries: soap, shampoo & conditioner, toothbrushes & toothpaste, deodorant, shaving cream & disposable razors, feminine products, hand lotion, etc.
- View PDF of Needed Toiletries
Throughout the year, the Food Pantry partners with various groups and organizations to host events like our Back-To-School Backpack Give-A-Way, Thanksgiving’s Operation Gobbler, and “Christmas for the Kids”.