On September 27, 2024, Shepherd’s Pantry hosted the Second Annual Breakfast of Champions. The event focused on providing donors and community members with a snapshot of the Pantry’s work throughout the year and expressed the need for further aid to continue the mission.
Shepherd’s Pantry Board Chairwoman Marlene Carney emceed the event, opening with a warm welcome. On behalf of Shepherd’s Pantry and its clients, she expressed gratitude for the sponsors’ generous contributions and every guest’s presence. Pushing the Shepherd’s Pantry’s mission: to provide food, resources, and services from a faith-based perspective to those in need. Keynote speaker Albert Hernandez, of Home Again LA, echoed her sentiments, sharing the increasing challenges within the community, from rising living costs to the strain of purchasing food and gas. His speech highlighted how in the face of these hardships, and not despite them, organizations like Shepherd’s Pantry stand as beacons of hope, improving the lives of thousands within LA County.
Senator Anthony Portantino, of California’s 25th district, spoke about the challenges communities face and the strength they create when they work together. Finally, the Senator proudly awarded Shepherd’s Pantry with California’s Senate Certificate of Recognition for ending hunger.
Likewise, Shepherd’s Pantry was honored by LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s Office (Presented by Vicky Paul), the City of Irwindale (presented by Mayor Albert F. Ambriz), and Congresswoman Blanca Rubio’s Office (presented by Alexa Sanchez), further emphasizing the significant role it plays in the community.
To contextualize these awards, and provide witness to the lives impacted, Shepherd’s Pantry’s Executive Director Jhoana Hirasuna, took the stage next. During this year alone, Shepherd’s Pantry has served over 13,337 households and 32,648 individuals with food and resources. Thus, as of August 2024, Shepherd’s Pantry has fed over 60,000 returning clients. While proud of her organization’s accomplishments, Director Hirasuna focused on the vital role of the community; Shepherd’s Pantry cannot achieve its mission alone.
Shepherd’s Pantry exists because of its fantastic volunteers; while the staff continue to work excellently for minimal pay, over ninety-five percent of labor is provided by dedicated volunteers. Many clients will only ever interact with Shepherd’s Pantry volunteers; volunteer work shapes every stage of a client’s experience, from greeting them during distribution, to packaging the food and resources they receive, to collecting and generating the data and reports needed for Shepherd’s Pantry to remain operational. Their work, totaling over 34,000 hours this year alone, is the reason Shepherd’s Pantry reaches its mission.
This year, Shepherd’s Pantry turns twenty years old, and although it has expanded it is still pushing to complete its mission of providing food to Los Angeles County This is only possible because of people like Luanne Jaime. Luanne (along with her late husband) was one of the founding members of Shepherd Pantry and continues to support Shepherd’s Pantry to this day. She was awarded Shepherd’s Pantry’s Service Award for her dedication to helping communities.
The event’s conclusion was highlighted with a raffle and proceeds to help continue Shepherd’s Pantry’s work. Congratulations to all the winners! Thank you to every attendee, volunteer, the board and staff member, event personal. And a gracious thank you to the donors and sponsors who made this event possible!
Shepherd’s Pantry will continue to support members of Los Angeles County. If you are interested in supporting Shepherd’s Pantry, click here to go to our donation page, where you can choose among our different donating options, or if you are interested in volunteering, click here to explore the options available. Thank you for a fantastic event! We will see you next year!
October 10, 2024 Steven Lwe Photographs: Megan Lwe
