Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry
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About Loaves & FishesNourishing our community since 2020
The Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry is a St. Mark Parish outreach ministry dedicated to serving individuals and families experiencing food insecurity. Inspired by Jesus’ miracle of the loaves and fishes, our mission is to provide healthy, nutritious food with dignity, compassion, and respect.The Food Pantry began during the COVID-19 pandemic in response to the growing need for food assistance in our community. It opened its doors on October 3, 2020, through the vision of longtime parishioner and former Parish Council member Cookie Barthel. Father Albert immediately supported this call to serve by providing the resources needed to begin the ministry, including two garage spaces dedicated exclusively to the Food Pantry.
Since opening, Loaves & Fishes has served more than 250,000 neighbors and distributed more than 1.5 million pounds of food.
Every Saturday, St. Mark Food Pantry serves approximately 400 families and more than 1,300 people, distributing around 15,000 pounds of food to neighbors in need.
A home delivery ministry also serves homebound seniors, individuals with disabilities, and others who are unable to travel to the Pantry. Each week, volunteers deliver food throughout Venice, Culver City, Mar Vista, and Inglewood/Manchester, bringing not only nourishment but also connection and care to our neighbors.
To contact the Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry team, email George Peralez at [email protected] or call 310-339-3752
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Saturday Food Distribution at St. Mark
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Volunteer OpportunitiesThe Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry is made possible through the generosity of volunteers who share their time, talents, and compassion each week to serve our neighbors.
Our volunteers include parishioners, students completing service hours, neighbors from throughout the community, local businesses, and people of all faiths—and no faith who come together to help provide food with dignity, respect, and love.
There are many ways to serve, including Saturday food distribution, preparing food bags, assisting with weekly operations, and delivering food to homebound neighbors.
Click here for volunteer opportunities: Click Here to Serve
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Home Delivery Volunteers
Help bring nourishment, hope, and connection to homebound neighbors in our community. Delivery volunteers pick up food from the Pantry and bring it directly to individuals and families who are unable to travel.
Deliveries take place on Saturdays and are organized based on volunteer availability.
Click Here for Delivery Opportunities
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Watch how our volunteers bring not only food, but also compassion, connection, and hope to our homebound neighbors.
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Documentary
NOTHING WASTEDA Community Experiment in Gratitude
For 60 days, a documentary team from Loyola Marymount University went behind the scenes at Saint Mark Food Pantry in Venice, CA and what they found was inspiring.
Amid the hustle of daily operations, they uncovered a story of hope, community, and resilience, proving that sustainability isn’t just about the environment—it’s about people.
Watch the documentary here >>
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- Every Saturday St Mark Food Pantry serves 1,300 people and 400 families in our community.
- In 2024, we were on track to feed more than 51,000 people, more than in any of our previous years.
- By August 2025, we have provided food for more than 250,000 people.
Our volunteers make it possible to feed hundreds of families and support our community every week!
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- More than two-thirds of our food comes from the Westside Food Bank in Santa Monica.
- The rest comes from our generous parteners at Culver/Palms YMCA, Trader Joe's, Costco, Jyan Isaac Bakery, and Tartine Venice.
- Another major supporter is FoodCycle LA, an organization that partners with markets, farmers, bakeries, and farmers markets to collect food that would otherwise be thrown away.
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- All proteins and baked items received early in the week are frozen.
- Depending on the condition of the fruits and vegetables received, our volunteers spend countless hours inspecting and sorting everything by hand to find the best quality possible.
- Two commercial refrigerators and 14 home refrigerators in the three garages at St. Mark keep our produce fresh and Fr. Albert's electric bills high.
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- Our cardboard boxes and pallets are recycled.
- Fresh groceries are double-bagged. The outside bag has been retumed to us for reuse, and the inside bag is purchased by the pantry so that the food is always placed in a fresh, clean bag.
- Nearly 200 pounds a week of unusable produce is picked up by the Orsi Family Farm in Agua Dulce to feed their animals. This keeps food waste out of landfills and helps to eliminate greenhouse gases.
- We'll distribute more than 17,000 plastic bags this year! 96% of them are recycled from collection efforts made at St. Mark's School, from parishioners, and from our clients.
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- For two hours on Saturday mornings, over 15,000 Ibs. of food is given out to more than 360 families, to the homeless or delivered to shut-ins - averaging 1,400 people a week!
- Every week, our non-perishable goods are assembled by either the clients of Carousel School's Adult Day Care program or by campers from Adrian's Place during their Summer or Winter Enrichment Camps. Both facilities serve the special needs community.
- Every week it takes 60+ volunteers coming from Venice and its surrounding communities, girl scouts, local schools, businesses and civic groups to prepare and distribute the food on Saturdays.
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Food Pantry on the News
Discover how our Food Pantry got started! Watch our NBC and Telemundo interviews to hear why we opened and the impact it had on our community.
Food Pantry on NBC News
En español:
Food Pantry on Telemundo
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Questions? Read our frequently asked questions
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