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Upcoming Events
- JOIN US! BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE Chef Jesse Plasencia's Pop-Up Dinner to Benefit PVLF at El Alteño Restaurant in downtown Watsonville - Thursday, June 1st Tickets are $60 each and are available at pvloavesandfishes.org/elalteno.
- SAVE THE DATE Our 14th Annual Empty Bowls Dinner and Auction will be held Saturday, September 9th from 5-9pm at the Lagoon House at Pajaro Dunes Shorebirds in Watsonville
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Wish List
- Hygiene Kit Items: New Pairs of Socks, Razors, Soap, Toothbrushes, and Toothpaste
- Needed Foods:
- Canned Chili, Stews, and Soups
- Ready-to-eat and pop-top canned goods
- Protein bars
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Volunteers Angeli Jimenez (left) and Lupita Mock enjoy each other's company while helping Kitchen Manager Maria Gonzalez prepare and serve lunch.
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Having Fun While Doing Good
Many of our volunteers get involved in our work because they want to give back to the community and to do good for others. And while they find their service fulfilling, they also enjoy the people they meet and the fun we have while working together. These connections with staff and fellow volunteers are a key reason they remain as part of our volunteer team.
While the work that we do is physically, and at times emotionally, demanding, the support and camaraderie among the volunteers and staff keeps us going. "This is one of the best places anybody could work. I wish people were this nice, friendly, and fun everywhere," says volunteer Angeli Jimenez. Angeli and her neighbor Raymond Razo both volunteer at PVLF. They cite the teamwork among the volunteers and staff as the quality that makes PVLF and our programs really special.
We recently said goodbye to one of our most dedicated pantry volunteers, Geri McGillicuddy (pictured below with Pantry Coordinator Jeanette Arias). Geri, a retired visiting nurse, was inspired to volunteer at PVLF by her late friend Tom O'Brien, past Board President of PVLF. She assisted in our pantry once a week for three years, helping with client intake and preparing bags of food for distribution.
"I've cooked a lot over the years - for my husband and our four children - so I knew I didn't want to work in the kitchen," Geri says. "I've enjoyed working in the pantry, meeting the people we serve, and learning the Spanish words for all the fruits and vegetables we distribute." Although Geri will no longer be volunteering every Tuesday, as the physical aspects of pantry work are getting to be a bit too challenging, she promised on her last day that she would stop by now and then to visit her friends on Second Street.
Whether you are a volunteer, donor, or supporter who helps us in other ways, we thank you for being a part of this caring community of people that makes our work possible. The wonderful people we get to know make this work extra rewarding!
If you would like to get more involved in our work, please contact our AmeriCorps volunteer Sara at 831-319-4571 or volunteer@pvloavesandfishes.org.
Pantry Coordinator Jeanette Arias and volunteer Geri McGillicuddy, in the PVLF pantry.
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Chef Jesse Plasencia to Host
El Alteño Benefit Dinner on June 1st
Chef Jesse Plasencia (pictured below) - Executive Chef of The Pacheco Club in Monterey, California and past Board member of Pajaro Valley Loaves & Fishes - has a sumptuous menu planned for the benefit dinner to be held at El Alteño Restaurant in downtown Watsonville on Thursday, June 1st.
Appetizers
Rock crab cake, celery root slaw, orange glaze, smoked paprika-chipotle tartar sauce
Charcuterie plate: Duck liver paté, assorted cured meats, local artisan cheese, sticky red onion marmalade, Marcona almonds, soft baguette
Salads
Local organic field greens, cherry tomatoes, blue cheese, candied pecans, balsamic vinaigrette
Baby hearts of romaine Caesar salad, buttery croutons, parmesan cheese
Entrees
Pan seared salmon, Meyer lemon scented potato puree, fresh spring vegetables, champagne butter sauce
Local vegetable lasagna, tomato-basil sauce, shaved parmigiano reggiano cheese
Roasted bone-in rack of pork, fresh corn polenta, spring vegetables, pork jus, apple chutney
Desserts
Mini dessert sampler: Orange curd creme brulée, organic mini carrot cake, local fresh blackberry tart, mini chocolate mousse
Flourless chocolate torte, raspberry sauce, Chantilly cream
Fresh peach pie, custard sauce, salted caramel ice cream
We offer two seating times and sell 200 tickets, for dine-in or take-out. The dinner includes your choice of salad and entrée. Appetizers, desserts, and beverages (including beer, wine, and cocktails) are available for purchase at the dinner. All food and gratuity proceeds benefit our food pantry and lunch programs, serving local families and individuals struggling with hunger.
We hope you will join us Thursday, June 1st for this year’s benefit dinner! Tickets (including salad and entrée) are $60 and are available online at pvloavesandfishes.org/elalteno.
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Community Reception, May 11th
Appreciating Our Volunteers and Donors
Over 100 volunteers and donors joined us for a fun evening of appetizers, drinks, dessert, and fellowship at our home on Second Street.
We thank our event supporters for making this a great event:
Grocery Outlet Watsonville, S. Martinelli & Co., and Tied House Café & Brewery / Hermitage Brewing Company for donating beverages,
the Ballesteros Catering Company, Driscoll’s, and Ella’s at the Airport for providing food,
De Colores Flores for making fresh floral arrangements,
Roger Vail for creating a photo slideshow and taking event photos, and
Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County for lending us audio equipment.
Special thanks to Maura Leonor, Max Simecek, and Angeli Jimenez for sharing about their experiences volunteering at PVLF.
We hope you will be able to join us next spring for this appreciation event for our wonderful supporters!
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Volunteer Feedback
Sara Muñoz, our AmeriCorps volunteer, is currently conducting interviews with members of our volunteer team to gather feedback about our volunteer program, so we can continue to grow and improve as an organization.
These conversations are providing insights into our volunteers' experiences at PVLF. She wrote this account of one of her recent conversations, which reveals, in one volunteer's experience, how serving at PVLF can change one's perspective.
I interviewed one of our volunteers. I asked him what his expectations were, prior to volunteering, and where they stand now. He talked to me about the common misconception that Loaves and Fishes is a soup kitchen for the homeless, when it is clearly so much more than that.
Outsiders often have these stereotypes about our “homeless clients being where they are, and behaving inappropriate due to drugs and other personal choices”. The volunteer said, “when you look over the fence and get a closer look, it’s not like that at all. These people come from all different walks of life.”
About one third of our clients are homeless, and many of our clients are agricultural farm workers. Our space also serves many families, students, and even pets. You will see many clients who are living with mental illnesses of different severities. You get to know them, and you realize you can’t judge them, they endure through so much as it is.
The volunteer went on to say that he could be out on this warm day having a few beers, but he chooses to be here. For him, and many others, Loaves and Fishes is a sanctuary. He says it’s a space where the volunteers and staff are well trained with the skills they need to complete the tasks, but they are also well equipped with compassion and patience. He says, “You can’t be trained on compassion.”
These volunteers have stuck around because they feel their time here is rewarding on its own. They understand that the people we serve are in need, and they are endlessly grateful. They can see, first hand, the impact their work is having on the community that is often misunderstood and forgotten.
If you would like to share feedback about your volunteer experience at PVLF, please contact Sara at 831-319-4571 or volunteer@pvloavesandfishes.org.
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Honorary and Memorial Gifts
In Memory
Peter Ciccarelli by Billie Trawle
In Honor
Louis Jemison by Tom & Joanne Young
Honor a friend or loved one with a gift to Pajaro Valley Loaves & Fishes.
Your donation will provide nutritious food to local community members in need, and your honoree will be recognized in our e-newsletter and receive an acknowledgment by mail.
Donations can be mailed to us at 150 Second Street, Watsonville CA, 95076, or made through our website.
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