As we head towards Valentine’s Day, we thought we’d take a moment to stop and thank all of our supporters and community partners who keep our kitchen operating. Join us in celebrating the work and support of these organizations – we could not do it without them!
Smart & Final
Smart & Final in Seaside has been a trusted partner for GFW for many years. Associates like Alex (left) provide us quality produce, protein, and baked goods up to three times a week and we value their contributions more than we could ever say. Our partnership with Smart & Final is especially helpful during the holidays; they provided almost all of the turkey for our Thanksgiving meal and almost all of the tri-tip for our holiday meal. Store manager, Fernando Ortiz said, “Thank you for coming in and picking up any food or donations that we have. We love and support our local community and this partnership helps to decrease food waste, decrease hunger, and provide food security for anyone in need.”
We are so grateful to Smart & Final for their ongoing support and partnership, and we look forward to working together for many years to come.
Cornucopia Community Market
Cornucopia Community Market was originally founded by Jon and Lori Zobler in 1977. In 2018, Jon and Lori retired and Greg Barnard, owner of Sunshine Health Foods in Morro Bay, purchased Cornucopia. Greg’s commitment to the employees and community has inspired unexpected growth and a new beginning. Along with this comes unwavering support for GFW, providing us with produce, pastries, and pantry goods regularly. We are grateful for the connection to Cornucopia and thank them for their support of our Day Center and our kitchen.
Andronico’s Community Markets
Andronico’s Community Markets has been one of our most dedicated partners. Each week we get fresh, quality bread for our sandwiches that supply our take-away meals and weekend bag lunches. In 2025, we served 6,658 sandwiches alone and we could not have done it without the support we see from community partners like Andronico’s Community Markets.
San Carlos Cathedral: Loaves and Fishes Program
San Carlos Cathedral was one of the very first supporters of GFW. Their hall was one of our original locations we used to rotate between until we found our permanent home at 147 El Dorado St. Now, we are still getting their support through their food pantry from their Loaves and Fishes Program. The Loaves and Fishes program from San Carlos Cathedral serves hot meals on Fridays, Sundays, and federal holidays, and their food pantry distributes bags of groceries every Sunday to those in need from 1-3 PM. Whenever San Carlos gets food they cannot use in their pantry or kitchen, they are able to send it to GFW – we can always find some way to use it! We are so grateful for San Carlos Cathedral’s foundational support of GFW and their continued commitment to our mission.
McDonald’s
Of the many locations available, the McDonald’s on Del Monte Ave. in Monterey has struck up a community partnership with GFW. Each Thursday morning, we swing by to pick up donations of excess breakfast items that we can use for our kitchen services. Everyone loves a good hashbrown, and our partnership with this McDonald’s location has helped us to access some of those items we may not otherwise be able to provide to our guests. Thank you for your continued support of our organization and our guests!
Fun fact: Before Cecelia (left) worked at McDonald’s, she was part of the Subway team that also donates to GFW (see more below). No matter where we go, she is there to greet us with a warm smile and a helping hand. Thank you for your support, Cecelia!
Subway
Another local franchise that partners with GFW is Subway on Franklin St. in Monterey. Every other Friday, this store provides us with sandwiches for our guests’ weekend lunch bags, providing our guests with a high quality sandwich and supporting our kitchen staff and volunteers. Guests are always excited on these days and we see an increase in our numbers on every “Subway Friday” that shows just how appreciated they are. Our staff and our guests are very thankful to Subway!
We want to send a special shout out to Nancy (right). She’s been making our sandwiches at the Subway on Franklin since we began receiving them from this location, and it was only when we told her about this spotlight that she learned who these sandwiches are going to. She was, “so happy” to learn about GFW and what her work was supporting, and GFW is so happy she supports us.
Food Bank for Monterey County
Of course, no list of our kitchen supporters is complete without the Food Bank for Monterey County. The Food Bank is a constant source of support, not just for our organization, but for many individuals and households in Monterey County, and the resources they provide are invaluable to us. GFW is recovering hundreds of pounds of food each week through the distribution programs they’ve set up and administered for us, which includes our partnerships with Smart & Final and McDonald’s among others. The Food Bank for Monterey County is providing food to approximately 160,000 residents each month, and we are so grateful to be part of that network.
Here you can see our pantry fully stocked with canned and dry goods, all from the generosity of the Food Bank for Monterey County. Thank you for all you do, from GFW’s staff, volunteers, and guests.
How Can You Share the Love?
If you are out this month and find yourself at any of these lovely community partners, take a moment to thank them for their continued support of GFW, our guests, our community, and our mission. GFW can only provide our services if our community supports us and we want to give all our gratitude back to those who make our work possible. You can also support GFW and our guests by:
- Supporting local efforts to build more affordable housing
- Supporting local homelessness prevention efforts like rental assistance and financial education programs
- Volunteering your time and talents to local homeless service providers
- Donating clothing or personal care items, or making a monetary contribution to your local homeless service providers
- Becoming an ambassador by telling everyone you know about your favorite non-profit and what we are doing to help!
If you are ready to be part of the solution, you can find ways to get involved at GFW on our website, or contact us at info@gatheringforwomen.org.
The Main Contributor for this post is:
Resources used in this post:
- Smart & Final – https://www.smartandfinal.com/sm/pickup/rsid/522/store
- Cornucopia Community Market – https://centralcoasthealthfoods.com/cornucopia/
- Andronico’s Community Markets – https://local.andronicos.com/ca/monterey/900-lighthouse-ave.html
- San Carlos Cathedral – https://sancarloscathedral.org/
- Loaves and Fishes Ministry – https://sancarloscathedral.org/ministries/loaves-and-fishes
- McDonald’s – https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/location/CA/MONTEREY/610-DEL-MONTE-AVE/1949.html
- Subway – https://restaurants.subway.com/united-states/ca/monterey/195-w-franklin-st
- Food Bank for Monterey County – https://foodbankformontereycounty.org/
