Join Lunches for Bunches Every Sunday after Worship

Lunches for Bunches - Food for our Unhoused Neighbors

Every week, the Lunches for Bunches team, a part of UU Santa Monica's Faith in Action program, packs and delivers 54 pre-packed, non-perishable meals for distribution at The People Concern in Santa Monica. That’s more than 2500 meals a year! 

It’s a simple and effective way for church members of all ages to make an immediate difference in the lives of the folks we see living on the street.

All are welcome to join us on Sundays after worship to assemble the bag lunches, which include a high-protein sandwich, fresh fruit, string cheese, chips or something salty, granola bar, cookies, a drink, and a napkin. We meet  at 11:30 under the shade structure on the patio, or inside if rainy weather.

Each Sunday a different team member "hosts" – bringing fresh fruit, setting up the assembly line and then delivering the lunches to The People's Concern Annenberg Access Center, a nearby resource for unhoused people near 5th and Olympic in downtown Santa Monica. This center serves about 120-160 unhoused people daily with lunches and access to showers, laundry facilities, clothes closet, and many other services.

The L4B team also supports The People’s Concern in other ways, including a highly successful winter clothing drive conducted in Dec-Jan of 2024-25. UUSM has a long history of supporting this center dating back to 1985 when it was built; our church’s name is on their donor wall.

We welcome volunteers to help pack lunches or host. If interested, please feel free to chat with the host after services on Sunday, or contact us here.

If you’d like to help the church offset the cost of the lunches, you can contribute online to the Hunger Fund or text "$amount HFC" to 844-982-0209.

FAQ:

How much does it cost to feed 54 folks a week? We spend about $600 a month on food and other supplies like napkins and paper bags.

What are we feeding them? High protein meals include a sandwich, fruit, and string cheese, plus chips or something salty, cookies, granola bars, and a drink.

Why The  People Concern Access Center? Our congregation has a long history of supporting this center dating back to 1985 when it was built. More than 100 of our unhoused neighbors show up there every day to access showers, laundry, mental health and substance abuse support, and case management services to get housed. Our lunches are a treat for the residents (something different and special) and give staff and volunteers a break on a busy Monday morning.

Who's running our program? About 8 - 10  volunteers act as hosts, purchasing fresh fruit, organizing Sunday lunch assembly, and delivering meals to our friends at the Access Center. It’s a commitment of about two hours for the host, and most hosts volunteer about once every six weeks.  The current coordinators of the program are Rebecca Haggerty and Lauren Poole. We welcome new volunteers.

Who helps with assembly? Anyone who wants to make a difference in our larger community: new guests to UUSM, longtime members, introverts, kids with lots of energy, maybe even you.

Thank you!

For more information about Lunches for Bunches. the Hunger Task Force, or other social justice action, contact us. You can also support the Hunger Task Force work financially by choosing HUNGER FUND when you make a donation.