by Dr. Alyssa Fisher, Director of Communications

This September, the California-Pacific Annual Conference joined Hunger Action Month, presented by Feeding America. The month-long campaign to raise awareness for food insecurity in the United States gave the conference the opportunity to highlight ministries throughout our region that are working to end physical hunger through feeding their neighbors. The communications team and your submissions highlighted ministries across our connection including:

• Normal Heights UMC’s community fridge
• Anaheim UMC’s Neighbors Pantry
• Orange County Mission Area’s Rise Against Hunger Event
• First UMC Redondo Beach’s Shared Bread
• Good Shepherd Ministry Center
• Heritage UMC
• Aldersgate UMC and Sunday Supper
• Community UMC of Julian’s Mountain Manna
• St. Paul’s UMC’s Project NEEDS
• Kardia UMC
• 580 Café

Today, Cal-Pac is excited to announce the recipients of the 2025 Hunger Grants from the Justice and Compassion Essential Ministry Team. This grant is awarded to ministries that provide feeding programs for unhoused or families living in poverty. This year, a total of $10,500 was awarded, supporting a wide variety of different ministries from food banks to providing lunches to go. The churches and ministries who received grants of $500 each are:

1. Feed the Whole Person, Hamilton UMC
2. Neighborhood Food Pantry, Imperial Beach Neighborhood Center
3. Soup Kitchen, Palmdale UMC
4. Beyond the Building Ministry, Fullerton First UMC
5. CUMC Food Closet, Community UMC Huntington Beach
6. CPUMC Café Sandwich Project, Culver-Palms UMC
7. Mission Team Feeding the Hungry at People’s kitchen, First UMC Arroyo Grande
8. Hunger Outreach, Wesley UMC
9. Fill-a-Belly, San Dieguito UMC
10. Shared Bread, El Segundo UMC 
11. Trinity UMC Food Pantry, Trinitty UMC of Los Osos
12. Feed My Lambs, Box Springs Cooperative Parish 
13. Free Holiday Baskets, La Verne UMC
14. Jesus Invites You to Lunch, Lancaster UMC
15. Breakfast Bags, La Habra UMC
16. Outreach Dinner, Simi Valey UMC
17. Murrieta UMC Food Pantry, Murrieta UMC
18. Meals for the Hungry and Homeless, Los Altos UMC
19. Love Like Jesus Loved, Linda Vista UMC
20. Food Program , Brawley First UMC
21. Sack Lunch and Food Pantry Ministry, Kardia UMC

Applications for the JCEMT grants open each spring, and are awarded in summer.