IMPERIAL VALLEY - There are organizations that come to the aid of those in need when called upon. For example during last month's floods in Imperial County. Then there are those that help out year round. The Imperial Valley Food Bank is one of those organizations.
When The Imperial Valley Food Bank opened its doors in 1991, the non-profit had one main objective; to help out those that are wondering whether they have a meal waiting for them at home. In simple words, they fight hunger.
Today, that mission still stands.
Through their programs, the food bank serves over twenty thousand people in five thousand households every month.
"We are on the front lines everyday of every month, every month of the year, trying to make a dent in the hunger issue in this county", says IVFB Executive Director, Sara Griffen.
The food bank recently received a grant to able to get a new truck through the Walmart Foundation and when a massive rainstorm hit the city of Calipatria 3 weeks ago, the new addition to the fleet just happened to be in the neighborhood.
The new truck had enough room to hold what they were already delivering to the area as well as food and necessities for those that were displaced by the flood.
Warehouse Manager, Alex Jimenez says, "It's so fulfilling, seeing the faces of the people when we hand them the food, that says it all, their smiles."
The bank gets their food donations from the U.S. government, local farmers and local grocery stores, among other organizations.
Other programs include the children's backpack program. The food bank provides children with a bag of food at the beginning of the school year. It ensures that children are going home to a meal after school.
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