It’s the week of Thanksgiving, the most important food distribution time for FIND Food Bank.

Twice a month Agua Caliente Elementary School in Cathedral City transforms into a food distribution site for the non profit.

“This is it this is our job right now,” says Principal Eric Antuna, adding the need has almost quadrupled during the pandemic, “pre COVID we were doing about two hundred families since COVID, I think our peak 650 or 700 … yeah, we actually, we do run out of food quite a bit.”

And this year on top of the regular distribution the staff pitched in to buy Thanksgiving meals.

“They are so giving and thinking about this for our families, it’s like how can we provide more for them because we don’t want them to go hungry,” says Antuna.

“It means like the world to us being able to do something for them … food is love and if you have something to give it’s more love,” says Yadira Milward, asst. to the principal, who helps with the distribution twice a week.

As the meal distribution came to an end, they noticed one of their regular families didn’t show up.

So the principal and his assistant made a house call.

Sanjuana Rios and her family were happy to see them, they weren’t able to make it to the distribution.

COVID has taken so much from her family, jobs and her father.

Rios says this Thanksgiving will be sad but there’s still so much to be grateful for, “I thank God for my husband and my children and my brothers and sisters and that there’s people like Mr. Antuna, I’m truly grateful for him,” she says through tears.

FIND Food Bank says need for their services has grown over 110 percent from last year. They have been sourcing and distributing food to over 185,000 families during this pandemic. The non profit, their volunteers and donors have been a lifeline and their services will be even more in demand when the federal COVID aid runs out in December.

To donate to FIND Food Bank Click here: FIND FOOD

To find a food distribution location click here: FOOD DISTRIBUTION SITE

Call to confirm location and time:

FIND Food Bank at 760-775-FOOD (3663) for more information.

FIND Food Bank’s Distribution Sites a Beacon of Hope During COVID and the Holidays