Choice Pantry

What is the new Choice Pantry?
Food for People conducts direct distribution at our facility at 307 W. 14th Street in Eureka. Our new Choice Pantry food distribution is open to individuals from any community in Humboldt County, although affiliation with your local pantry (if there is one) is preferred. The new Choice Pantry allows clients to select their own food in a way that is similar to shopping in a grocery-store, rather than receiving pre-packaged bags. Clients will now be able to choose the foods they want based on a given number of points.
- Income eligibility guidelines still apply as in the past.
- Identification is needed for every houhold member.
- Households may shop at the choice pantry once each month. Emergency food boxes are also available for hoseholds in need.
- Please bring your own bags.

How do I make an appointment?
Pre-scheduled appointements will be offered as early as the Monday of the week you wish to visit. Clients must call (707)445-3166 after 9:00 A.M. to schedule a brief intake meeting on the day of the distribution. Appointments are available:
- Tuesday: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
- Wednesday: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
- Thursday: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm (March 18th & 25th only)
- Friday: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
- Saturday: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm (3rd Saturday of the month, by reservation only).

What happens when I come in for my appointment?
The interviewer will collect information about your household, provide you with additional community resources, and answer any questions that you may have about the Choice Pantry. The interviewer will give you a personalized Shopping Guide, designed specifically for your household size. At the intake appointment, a valid form of identification including birth dates is required for all members of the household for whom you are requesting food. Income eligibility guidelines apply, although the process is self-certification.

What are Choice Points and how do they work?
The pantry’s “choice” points will be given out according to family size. The points will then be broken up based on nutritional food groups (grain,  dairy, vegetable, etc.). Each family will receive a certain number of choice points for each food group. Families are allowed to spend their given number of points for a particular group on any item within that group. By linking the “choice” points with the food pyramid nutrition categories, we hope to further reinforce the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through good food choices.

Why did Food for People become a Choice Pantry?
We would like households to go home with the foods that they need and like so none goes to waste. Shoppers know what they will use, so they should be able to make their own choices. Some households may have special dietary needs which require reading the Nutrition Facts labels on the back of food products. The Choice Pantry system allows for that so households select only what they need, and in some cases what they need to stay or get healthy. Volunteers and staff members are available to help shoppers with any questions about ingredients or Nutrition Facts labels.