Inside its Torrance headquarters, the Volunteer Center South Bay–Harbor–Long Beach is helping local children and families meet one of their most basic needs: having enough food to eat.

The organization’s Food for Kids program provides weekend meals to students and families attending Title I schools across the South Bay. The program was created to address the gap that can occur when children who receive meals at school go home for the weekend.

The Volunteer Center also operates a community pantry in Torrance, where visitors can receive bags of shelf-stable groceries during designated open hours. The pantry provides another important source of help for families dealing with rising household costs or temporary financial hardship.

Community support makes the programs possible. Individuals, businesses and neighborhood groups can donate food, organize collection drives or volunteer with the organization.

The Volunteer Center identifies canned fruit, pasta, pasta sauce, peanut butter and jelly among the items frequently needed for its pantry and weekend meal programs.

Although the organization serves communities throughout the South Bay, Harbor Area and Long Beach, its Torrance location gives residents a direct way to help nearby families.

A donated bag of groceries may look simple, but it can give a child greater stability, reduce stress for a parent and help a student return to school ready to concentrate and learn.

Learn how to support the Volunteer Center