Food Now is a local organization that provides food assistance to help alleviate food insecurity, poor health resulting from poor diets, and poverty. It offers these services at no expense to the communities it serves, and 350 households benefit weekly. The following is taken from an email interview with Executive Director Dana Johnson, in which he spoke about Food Now's mission to provide healthy and nutritious food to those in need:
With food insecurity a growing problem across the nation, Food Now continues to expand beyond its origins in Desert Hot Springs and is now serving the entire western Coachella Valley.
"We are the boots-on-the-ground people providing for specific needs in our communities," Johnson said about the local group that is also a FIND Food Bank member, a Feeding America partner and a U.S. Department of Agriculture recipient organization.
Much of Food Now's expansion has happened since Johnson first came on board as executive director in 2016. Not only has the nonprofit's territory expanded, the food distribution has increased from 600,000 pounds to 1 million pounds. By doubling their refrigeration and freezer-storage space, Food Now can provide more fresh and quality foods, truly meeting the nutritional needs of those they serve.
Giving back to the community with Food Now became Johnson's passion after overcoming a difficult time in his life. In 2001, he almost died in an accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Johnson's career as a high-voltage electrical lineman and foreman was now out of reach, and he sunk into a period of "wallowing in self-pity."
But all that changed after moving in with his twin brother David, a Food Now volunteer. Invited by David to get involved, Dana Johnson was pulled "out of self and into service." He was inspired enough to get his degree in Nonprofit Business Management from the University of California, Riverside, and "thrilled to accept" the executive director position in 2016.
Food Now is more than just a food distribution operation, as it assists multiple groups of the community's food insecure. The nonprofit provides weekly home deliveries of supplemental food for veterans housebound with disabilities. In conjunction with the Palm Springs Unified School District, Food Now also has a Children's Backpack Weekend Meals Program, which helps stamp out hunger on weekends. Currently, the children's program has joined with all five elementary schools in Desert Hot Springs to provide backpacks for 120 students every week.
Additional services include a Homeless Needs Program, a Senior Needs Program, a Companion Animal Feeding Program and periodic health screenings by a medical doctor.
In his typed interview, Johnson relayed a story that shows how Food Now can change lives:
Jason, the general manager at a high-profile, high-end restaurant in Coachella Valley, was happy to have his restaurant participate in one of Food Now's special events. But many years before this, Jason was on the receiving end from Food Now during a low point in his life that included unemployment. The relief of having food to eat was the first step toward redirecting his life, and he has remained grateful to Food Now for its role in his success.