On, Wednesday, July 29th, 125 enthusiastic volunteers from Saddleback Church came out to feed those in need at a contactless drive thru grocery distribution at the Outlets of San Clemente in partnership with OC Supervisor Lisa Bartlett. 3,210 people from 750 families received food and the opportunity to be cared for with prayer and encouragement. It was Saddleback’s 332ndgrocery distribution in the community since the pandemic began in March, and to date the church has distributed 3 million pounds of food to 268,211 people, with the efforts of thousands of volunteers. The Saddleback San Clemente campus, located off of Calle Batido, has taken lead of 34 of these events, just one of many ways the campus has looked to care for the needs of the San Clemente community.

When COVID hit, the church scaled up its existing grocery distribution to accommodate the expanding need. With the increase in scale, Saddleback Church is now the largest distributor of free food in Orange County. Enthusiastic volunteers shared that they are grateful for the opportunity to not only meet physical needs with food, but to be able to engage with emotional needs as well by talking to those driving through and offering an opportunity for them to share their struggles and receive prayer. 

To learn more about an upcoming grocery distribution or to learn how you can support the efforts to care for the community, visit saddleback.com/getfood.