SOVA Valley Food Pantry - Van Nuys, California

Katya T.

Half of the people that work there are very nice and helpful, but the other half...NO COMMENTS! Most of the food they give is expired, My kids and I won't eat it. If it was me I would never ever donate expired food I consider that an insult, I don't even feed expired food to my pets. Once I got some moldy bread. Very once in a while they'll give good frozen meat and a few decent goodies (mostly on holidays). So when I get the expired food goes from my trunk straight to the trash can.

James E.

These people were so kind and so professional and, seemingly, organized.
I am pretty new to taking the help being offered. These kind judgment-free men and women made us feel welcome. Their warmth and actual desire to help turned our earth-shattering crisis (... our darkest days,... relationship damaging, maybe destroying,...our sleep-preventing plight... Seriously, for us. We'll. We never imagined we would be in such difficult circumstances...) it seemed an inerpountable with an understanding and reassuring smile

Naomi B.

Updated 09/2023: Despite a good solid basic service, the way the public has to line up at SOVA Van Nuys is extremely undignified and not even sanitary.. Before COVID there was indoor seating. With a 5 million grant from the city, SOVA should do MUCH better than this (see photos).
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Good place to go when you don’t have food security. Plan to spend a couple of hours as they serve a lot of people in a very methodic way. kosher option available.

zk90210

Okay food bank but since they started their drive-thru distribution, most of their food is consistently expired and the produce is just horribly molded. Trucks sometime arrive late so we’re waiting in our cars standby till they start to operate. Staff is friendly and lines go quickly but food quality lately has been bad mostly just expired food.

Alissa H.

Great food bank for getting a variety of grocery items that will help make it through the month if you are struggling. Now you can even go twice a month! You always get your choice of meat and this time I got a big block of cheddar cheese, a whole chicken, and a good mix of other food items that I ate. It's easy to get in and out and everyone's usually very helpful and nice except sometimes the parking lot staff on the way in. Other then that, great place to be a member of! They don't short you on the food and in the past they even gave so much that I almost couldn't fit it all in the car! Very generous and worth it!

Ryan P.

My wife and I have been going to SOVA for years. SOVA is now located On Sherman Way just past Kester if you’re heading east. Since they've been at this location My wife and I have been there four times. Each of the four times there has been a car accident because of people cutting in the line. My wife and I get there an hour and 15 minutes early so that we are at the front line, and there’s not as much stress. What people are doing now, is waiting till they start the line and then rush with their cars to the front of the line, cut people off, and cause accidents. The last time my wife and I went there I had enough. I got out of my car and told the lady that had just cut me off, that It was Not OK what she had done. One of the employees from SOVA came and yelled at me. Telling me to get back in my car and that it doesn’t matter that she cut in line causing an accident. The lady said she was the Director of SOVA, and then her name was Britanny. My wife proceeded to film Britanny as she was telling us this. Britanny said we can’t video her because it’s a HIPAA violation. The last time I checked HIPAA had to do with the privacy of patients and medical records and things like that, Nothing to do with Food bank stuff. Needless to say, my wife and I have not been back to SOVA and it’s really sad because they have the best food. But my wife’s and my safety are more important than food.

I will say this though, the two security guards named Lamont and Kenny are really great and I will miss them. Hopefully SOVA can figure out a new process to make it more safe for people To get food, and hopefully they get rid of Britanny!

Tracy C.

This is a food bank they are the nicest people their kind let's face it it's hard when you are below poverty and you have to go to food banks especially don't have a car too-toll on your person but they're nice there and they don't make you feel bad about yourself because you're poor I really like this place 0 I recommended you to everyone who needs helpwith food and you don't need to be ashamed for needing help with food this world is so expensive and it is hard to feed a family there's only two of us in mine and I can barely get us through the month so places like so save my life it's a good place I give it my highest recommendation

Julie V. M.

DON'T GO!!!
They HATE humans here.
Online they said to call or email for a Food Bank Application - I emailed yesterday - they emailed back right away that "no application is needed" to just go during days & hours open -- I went just now & was made to wait with other handicapped while Abled people got shopping carts full of food - 45 minutes later after people who got there 5 minutes ago got food - I was told "we're not accepting new people" & then they they offered me 1 bottle of water & 2 TEENY tiny 4oz bottles of ENSURE - ENSURE!!!!! Nasty Gross teeny tiny LIQUID FOOD!!!!!
They are nothing but a bunch of out & out liars who treat the needy as Animals.