With drive thru groceries services and special senior-only pickup hours, Santa Clarita Grocery aims to reduce food insecurity in the valley.

On a recent radio interview on KHTS Radio’s “The Senior Hour” program, Santa Clarita Grocery Owner Bradley Grose and Head of Communications Jill Carr discussed the non-profit’s new drive thru groceries service and special senior-only hours.

Located at 21176 Centre Point Parkway, Suite 330, the Santa Clarita food pantry offers drive thru groceries pickup three days a week, with special hours for seniors on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.

Related: Santa Clarita Food Pantry Offers Year-Round Support To Reduce Food Insecurity

Carr explained how the new drive thru groceries pickup service allows families and seniors struggling with food insecurity to get the fresh groceries they need while also maintaining social distance.

“Our guests don’t even have to exit their cars,” Carr explained. “A volunteer shopper will assist them.”

The special seniors-only hours offered on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. allow seniors to avoid waiting in long lines so they can get back to their homes quickly and safely.

Staff members will greet seniors, offer them a cold bottle of water, and “come out and assist them and take physical distancing seriously as they work with the guest,” said Carr.

Carr also said that seniors who are unable to come in-person can designate a “proxy driver” to “shop on their behalf and pick up their groceries and deliver directly to them.”

For those who don’t have a “proxy driver,” Grose noted that some seniors have used Santa Clarita Transit’s Dial-A-Ride transportation service to come pick up groceries in person.

“We provide cold water and chairs for them while they’re waiting for their transportation, so they’re at least being cared for during that one-hour period (between dial-a ride drop-off and pickup),” Grose said.

Grose noted that in the short time the drive thru groceries service has been available, he’s seen a rapid increase in seniors who are making use of it to access fresh groceries.

“We’re just trying to bring in efficiency so that we can meet the demand and not have longer lines,” Grose said. “So really, it’s a supply-demand challenge that we look at daily and very closely.”

Santa Clarita Grocery’s parcels are portioned to last one week per pickup, so Grose recommended seniors and families come weekly to stock up on fresh groceries.

“We’re able to meet their needs and help them through the end of each month, just making things a little bit better for them,” Carr said. “I think that population will continue to grow as well, as the word gets out.”

Grose said that the Santa Clarita Grocery headquarters is located near the Oasis Furniture warehouse “in the back side of that parking lot” at 21176 Centre Point Parkway, Suite 330, with a “giant American flag” making the building easy to find.

Those looking to get in touch with the Santa Clarita food pantry can contact them through the Santa Clarita Grocery website or by calling (661) 425-7575.

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