Local & Community
Food Now Partnerships Help Feed Coachella Valley Families in Need
Food Now serves thousands of people across the Coachella Valley each year, but keeping that mission going requires support from community partners.
The region’s largest food pantry relies on local organizations to help meet the needs of families throughout the year. Two Palm Desert organizations are finding different ways to contribute.
For the Palm Desert Rotary Club, that means helping Food Now provide food to children who may not have enough to eat over the weekend.
Food Now’s weekend program sends food home with students who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals and may not have access to enough food when school is out.
“We thought that was a really great thing to support,” said Palm Desert Rotary Club President Mary Alice, a former educator.
She says school meal programs can help provide breakfast and lunch during the week, but that assistance does not necessarily extend through the weekend.
“That’s where food pantries and things like our weekend program for students come into play,” she said.
For Palm Desert-based King Khan Moving Company, the partnership took a more hands-on approach.
During the holiday season last year, the company donated its trucks and crew to transport hundreds of donated frozen turkeys to Food Now clients.
The company’s owner says the effort was personal. He recalled his own family participating in food drives when he was younger and said his mother sometimes struggled to provide enough food for the family.
“It really means a lot to me,” he said.
After that first delivery, the company decided to continue supporting Food Now and encouraged other businesses with equipment and resources to find ways to help.
For Food Now, those partnerships provide more than food. They bring together businesses, nonprofits and community members to help ensure families across the Coachella Valley have access to meals when they need them most.
Explore: NBCPalmSprings.com, where we are connecting the Valley.
By: NBC Palm Springs
September 4, 2026
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