A fresh start is within reach for Orange County families in need, thanks to a newly transformed food pantry in Irvine.
The Community Market at Families Forward provides nutritious food and critical support to families facing homelessness and food insecurity while restoring dignity, providing choice and ensuring that no neighbor goes hungry.
With wide aisles, neatly stocked shelves of donated canned goods and baskets brimming with fresh oranges and produce, the Community Market offers a welcoming, grocery-store-style experience. Serving more than 800 families each month, the market is operated by Families Forward, an OC nonprofit dedicated to assisting people facing housing crises. The pantry, which has served families in need for 40 years, ensures visitors receive food, diapers and other essential resources.
“The new Community Market at Families Forward offers families a more dignified shopping experience while also ensuring our neighbors can choose the food that best fits their family’s needs,” says Families Forward CEO Madelynn Hirneise.
The updated pantry was unveiled earlier this month; its transformation includes a new 670-square-foot market, a cold-storage walk-in area for milk, eggs, fresh produce and lean protein and a 2,782-square-foot warehouse to store food donations and diapers.
“Irvine Company is proud of its 40-year relationship with Families Forward,” says Barry Curtis, Irvine Company senior director-entitlement and a member of the Families Forward board of directors. Irvine Company’s donation of two houses in East Irvine helped launch the organization in the 1980s.
The Community Market is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Families can receive food once a week and diapers once a month. No appointment is necessary, and first-time visitors need to register at the front desk to begin receiving assistance.
