LA Cares seeks backup volunteers for monthly food distribution
If regular helpers are out, LA Cares says monthly food distributions could strain. A July 9 orientation will train adults 18 and older to fill in.
If regular volunteers are unavailable, LA Cares’ monthly food distribution could feel the strain, slowing a service that many Los Alamos and White Rock households rely on for food and other help. To build a backup roster before that happens, the county’s all-volunteer pantry is holding an orientation for adults who can step in occasionally when the regular crew is short-handed.
The first volunteer orientation is set for Thursday, July 9, 2026, from 3 to 4 p.m. at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 2390 North Road in Los Alamos. LA Cares is looking for adults 18 and older who can substitute when regular volunteers are away because of family obligations, vacations or illness. The session is meant to walk prospective volunteers through how the distribution is set up, what different roles involve and where each person might be comfortable serving.
LA Cares says it is an independent, 100% volunteer organization supported solely through donations. The group says it serves any person or family living in Los Alamos County and provides more than 130 local families each month with food, rent and utility assistance. That monthly load makes backup staffing important, especially for a distribution that has to be organized around specific pickup times and advance client information.
The food distribution takes place every second Friday of the month and the Thursday before it at Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church. Hours are 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday evening and 10:30 a.m. to noon on Friday. Clients must provide information by the Sunday before distribution week so enough products can be prepared.
The need for a substitute list comes as LA Cares has said rising food, rent and utility prices have been squeezing local households. In January, the organization thanked the community after saying need had been much higher in the fall and winter. The pantry’s work also fits into a broader local safety net that includes the county and community partners’ “I Can Help” emergency food assistance effort launched in November 2025.
Anyone interested in attending the July 9 orientation or asking questions can email lacaresnm@gmail.com. A small pool of trained substitutes could make the difference between a smooth distribution and one stretched thin by a last-minute staffing gap.
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