SB Outreach feeds, clothes needy, nourishes community

by Baran Taghvaei

The room fills with the aroma of freshly delivered groceries as volunteers come together to prepare food parcels filled with fresh vegetables, bread, and fruit. Others begin distributing freshly packed meals, complete with a main dish, salad, drink, and dessert. Guests respond with warm smiles and grateful ‘thank yous’. 

“Our mission at South Bay Outreach is to take care of everyone who comes through our door who is suffering from food insecurity and financial stress. Things are very expensive now, and some people cannot afford to get a new pair of pants, or their children need clothing, so at least they can come here. And we voucher it out,” said Donna Quirk, Executive Director of South Bay Outreach. 

Quirk started her journey at South Bay Outreach 11 years ago, running transitional housing and later coming into the office to do clerical work for Sister Michelle, the Executive Director at the time. Sister Michelle’s ministry began decades ago as the House of Yahweh, on Artesia Boulevard in Redondo Beach. It subsequently moved to Lawndale. 

“I always enjoyed working with people, and it’s very rewarding working with people who are in need. They’re so grateful when you have an answer for them, especially when they come to me and say, ‘How do I qualify to get food here?’ They are just so grateful that they have the opportunity to come here and get food.” Quirk said. 

The program has created a sense of community among the volunteers, leading to volunteers coming back, observed University of California, Los Angeles freshman Oscar Meza. 

“When I first came here, I was like, I want to start learning Spanish because I want to connect with the people here on a deeper level.” Meza said. 

Meza said volunteering has enabled him to learn things that will be helpful in his pursuit of a career in Law, which is what drew him to the program in the first place. 

“Half of my volunteering here is in physical labor. And then also I’m going to help out in the office with grant writing, which is more aligned with what I want to do in my career.” Meza said. 

“I had a woman who would come in every day and get her lunch and would sit outside, and I’d say good morning to her. She’s unhoused and she’s from out of state, and she’s just going through a lot. She said how she was so appreciative and so thankful that she found us because. She needs clothes, and we give her clothes. She’s hungry, we feed her; she needs a friendly face or a smile, we give it to her.” Quirk said. “There’s an old quote from Albert Schweitzer, ‘We were put on this earth to take care of one another.” 

South Bay Outreach/House of Yahweh is located at 4046 Marine Avenue, Lawndale. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information visit HOY-southbay.org. ER