FIND Food Bank highlights growing need at annual Guardians Breakfast
Timothy Foster
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (KESQ) – The FIND Food Bank is raising awareness about food insecurity across the Coachella Valley as demand for assistance continues to grow.
Community leaders, donors, nonprofit partners, and elected officials gathered in Indian Wells for FIND’s annual Guardians Breakfast. The event focused on educating stakeholders about hunger in Riverside County and highlighting how community support is helping families in need.
News Channel 3’s Meteorologist Katie Boer emceed the event.
FIND leadership said the event is designed to bring together organizations, cities, and donors to ensure residents are not left behind as economic pressures continue to rise. Leaders emphasized that collaboration across sectors is critical to keeping support systems strong for the long term.
Organizers noted that many families are struggling to make ends meet due to rising costs, making access to food assistance and other support services more important than ever. They stressed that food banks and nonprofit organizations play a key role in helping families not only survive but work toward stability.
During the event, FIND received a $500,000 donation from Bank of America. Leaders said the funding will help the organization continue distributing food to families across Riverside County.
One speaker shared her personal experience growing up in a low-income household where food assistance was a necessary resource. She said food insecurity is more common than many people realize and emphasized the importance of removing the stigma around seeking help. She also shared that access to food support played a role in helping her family move forward and inspired her continued involvement with FIND.
According to FIND, the organization recorded more than 1.5 million client interactions last year and distributed over 20 million pounds of food through mobile markets and partner organizations. FIND said more families are attending food distributions locally, with lines often growing longer as need increases.
The event also highlighted challenges food banks are facing nationwide, including reductions in food assistance benefits that are affecting communities across the country.
Looking ahead, FIND leaders said continued donations, volunteer support, and community partnerships will be critical to meeting demand. The organization also promoted its upcoming FIND Food Bank Telethon, presented by NewsChannel 3, which takes place May 1 and aims to raise funds to help feed families across the Coachella Valley.
FIND said community support will remain essential as the organization works to address hunger today and in the future.