About Us
Helping Families For Over A Decade
We are here to help you get the food and nutrition you need
Living in our region can be expensive. But you don’t have to choose between paying bills or eating healthy food. Bread of Life offers a number of free food resources, including many that don’t require ID to apply. Public schools in California also now provide healthy, nutritious breakfast and lunch for for all kids! California is the first in the nation to implement this statewide program so that families no longer have to pay for their students’ meals. Contact your school for more information.
Our Founder & Story
As a single mother of two young children, Gina Valadez-Bracamonte was working two jobs but still found herself running short on funds for food at the end of each month. She would buy a whole chicken, a small bag of rice and some milk and stretch it to last the final week of the month. The struggle with food insecurity for Gina and her children was very real.
Fast forward 30 years, Gina had a successful career and small business. The memories of her hungry children never left her heart and mind. In 2008, Gina saw the dramatic downturn in the economy and the multitude of families losing their homes to foreclosure. Knowing that many people were struggling to make ends meet she decided to begin Bread of Life. Her dream was to give free groceries to those families and children struggling like she did so many years ago.
Bread of Life has grown each year since it’s inception. During the covid-19 pandemic, families, individuals, and the elderly were hit hard financially causing the need for supplemental food to dramatically increase. In 2020-2021, Bread of Life touched thousands of lives by placing nearly $4 million dollars worth of food directly into the hands of those who needed it most. Gina continues a pivotal role as the Founder and President of the Board at Bread of Life.
