Initially, this ministry began as a vision to feed the hungry, poor, needy and homeless of Santa Ana. The founder, through experiences gathered as a volunteer in other ministries, brought together a small group of people to fulfill this vision. This small group consisted of members of a local Hipanic Church, along with other community members.
In early 2008, Serve the People arranged to pack grocery bags of food at an off-site warehouse and transported the ready bags of food to our parking lot in Santa Ana. Flyers were distributed to the nearby residents and the first 50 grocery bags were passed out. This process continued every first and third Saturday of each month. Bags of food were also delivered to the homeless population. The word spread and after several months, Serve the People purchased and delivered pallets of food and began packing the food on site during the distribution event. Tents, tables and chairs were acquired to accommodate the recipients. Soon, an 18-foot-long bed truck, forklift and pallet jacks were purchased to facilitate the distribution. The excess non-perishable food was stored in our secured subterranean area.
After realizing the community's other needs, such as clothing, shoes, diapers, baby food, school supplies, toiletries and other small household products were quickly added to our distributions.
In 2009, the demand grew and two nearby warehouses totaling 6400 sq. ft. were rented. On June 9, 2009, we obtained our 501(c)3, non-profit status and opened our free medical clinic operating two days a week providing general medical care for the entire family.
In 2010, a third warehouse was added totaling over 10,000 sq. ft. of storage space and a Legal Aid Clinic was established to continue serving the people of our community.
