Sacramento, CA – We would like to take a moment to address questions and concerns regarding why we hardly visit a particular location where we have consistently supported individuals such as Dominic, Jamaica, Julius, Daniel, and many others over the past several months. Our mission has always been centered on serving those in need with compassion, dignity, and respect, while also ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our volunteers and community members.
Over the past few months, our team has worked tirelessly to provide food, clothing, hygiene products, and other essential items to individuals and families facing hardship throughout Sacramento. We remain deeply committed to helping those experiencing food insecurity, homelessness, and difficult life circumstances. However, during our visits to this particular location, several incidents occurred that raised growing concerns regarding safety, organization, and the overall ability to effectively serve the community.
During one recent outreach event, while our volunteers were setting up tables and organizing supplies, an individual began removing items from the back of our truck believing he was assisting. Although we appreciate when individuals want to help, our team follows a structured process to ensure supplies are distributed fairly, safely, and efficiently. Unfortunately, situations like this began occurring more frequently and created confusion during setup and distribution.
In addition, there were repeated incidents where certain individuals began taking excessive amounts of food and supplies from the tables. At first, our team tried to be understanding and flexible, recognizing that many people are struggling. However, over time, the behavior escalated and made it increasingly difficult to ensure that resources were available for everyone in need. Our goal has always been to serve as many people as possible fairly and respectfully.
This location also became increasingly challenging due to aggressive behavior, heightened tensions, and interactions involving individuals experiencing mental health instability. On multiple occasions, Jen found herself in unsafe situations where groups of men crowded the staging area and began taking supplies before distribution was properly organized. These situations became overwhelming and created a serious concern for volunteer safety.
Additionally, there were incidents involving both Cilla and Roberta that further highlighted the risks our team was facing at this location. What began as efforts to simply help our community quickly turned into situations that felt unpredictable and, at times, frightening. While we understand the hardships many individuals face, we also have a responsibility to protect the volunteers who generously donate their time, energy, and resources to support this mission.
After careful consideration and many discussions within our team, we made the difficult decision to transition our outreach efforts to a new location where we can continue serving the community in a safer, more organized, and more positive environment. This decision was not made lightly, as we genuinely care about every individual we have met and supported along the way.
We are proud to announce our partnership with Billionaire Family Recycling in Sacramento, CA as we continue our mission to help those in need throughout our beautiful city. This partnership allows us to continue providing assistance while creating a safer and more structured environment for both volunteers and community members.
We want the community to know that our mission has not changed. We remain committed to helping people who are struggling, regardless of their circumstances. Hunger affects many individuals and families from all walks of life, and as we often say, you do not have to be homeless to be hungry.
We appreciate the continued support, understanding, and encouragement from our community as we move forward together in service of others.
