Community leaders, volunteers and supporters gather outside the Rancho Cordova Community Food Hub on May 20 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of the new grocery-style food assistance facility.

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - More than speeches and ceremonial ribbon cuttings marked the opening of the new Rancho Cordova Community Food Hub on May 20.

Before the ribbon was cut, dozens of volunteers, city leaders and community members joined hands for the hokey pokey, a tradition organizers say reflects the spirit behind the new facility: welcoming, human and rooted in community.

The new 6,600-square-foot food hub at 2771 Don Juan Drive aims to transform how food assistance is experienced in Rancho Cordova. Designed like a grocery store rather than a traditional food pantry, the facility allows families to shop for fresh produce, pantry staples, dairy, protein and culturally familiar foods at no cost while maintaining choice and dignity.

Rancho Cordova Mayor Garret Gatewood presents a proclamation to Carrie Johnson, executive director of the Rancho Cordova Community Food Hub, during the organization’s grand opening ceremony May 20.

“This place was built to feel inviting, accessible, with a space where families can walk in, choose their food that fits their needs and feel well supported by their community,” Mayor Garrett Gatewood said during the ceremony. “Because no one in our community should have to face food insecurity.”

The Rancho Cordova Community Food Hub, formerly known as the Rancho Cordova Food Locker, currently serves more than 1,500 families each week. The nonprofit organization, operating under the umbrella of Catholic Charities of Sacramento and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sacramento, plans to open the facility to the public in mid-July.

Executive Director Carrie Johnson said the idea for the new model began taking shape in 2022 as demand for food assistance rapidly increased.

“When I started in 2022, we were serving 300 families a week,” Johnson said.

Before the ribbon was cut, dozens of volunteers, city leaders and community members joined hands for the hokey pokey, a tradition organizers say reflects the spirit behind the new facility.

Johnson said the organization wanted to rethink what food assistance could look like for struggling families.

“What if receiving help did not have to feel transactional or rushed?” she said. “What if families facing food insecurity could shop for groceries just like you and I?”

The result is a grocery-style model built around hospitality, choice and community connection. Johnson said the goal was to reduce the stigma often associated with asking for help.

“I think when people are hungry and they’re struggling, and a mom doesn’t have enough for her family, and maybe it’s the first time she’s experienced that, the last thing she wants to do is stand in line in the pantry,” Johnson said. “This will give her the ability to say yes to better nutrition and helping her family during a time when they’re having a hard time.”

Board members, staff members and volunteers with the Rancho Cordova Community Food Hub celebrate the organization’s grand opening May 20 outside the new facility on Don Juan Drive.

Community leaders described the project as the product of years of collaboration between volunteers, donors, nonprofits, residents and local government.

“This food hub is about so much more than shelves and supplies,” said Shelly Blanchard, executive director of the Cordova Community Council. “It’s about people. It’s about the single mom trying to stretch a paycheck just one more week. It’s about seniors choosing between groceries and prescriptions.”

Blanchard called the hub “a model for what the future of community support can look like.”

The project received support through a $2.5 million grant secured with assistance from the office of former Assemblymember Ken Cooley, according to Johnson. Construction began in June 2025 and was completed in less than a year.

Volunteerism also played a major role in the organization’s growth. Program and Outreach Manager Inez Shedd said the volunteer base expanded from about 20 people three years ago to more than 150 active volunteers today.

Volunteerism and community partnerships were at the center of the Rancho Cordova Community Food Hub’s grand opening celebration May 20.

“If you come to me and say, ‘I want to volunteer,’ it doesn’t matter what your constraints are,” Shedd said. “We will find a way. There is room for everybody.”

Shedd said building a volunteer team reflective of Rancho Cordova’s diversity was intentional.

“Rancho Cordova is an amazing community, and it’s a really diverse community,” she said. “We want everybody that comes in to be able to spot somebody on our team that they can relate to.”

For volunteer Amy McBride, the opening represented the culmination of years of service.

“The people that come become your friends, become your family,” McBride said. “Seeing this today, seeing Carrie, the people who put it together, the volunteers, we’re happy that this happened.”

Following the ribbon cutting May 20, community members toured the new Rancho Cordova Community Food Hub.   

Board Chair Teri Crisanty said organizers wanted the facility to provide the same sense of normalcy as many people experience during routine grocery shopping.

“Everybody wants to say that I’m going to the grocery store, not ‘I’m going to pick up my food,’” Crisanty said. “So this gives them the ability to pick and choose.”

As the ceremony concluded, Johnson said the new hub represents more than a building.

“Today we’re not just cutting a ribbon,” she said. “We’re opening a promise.”

The new 6,600-square-foot food hub at 2771 Don Juan Drive aims to transform how food assistance is experienced in Rancho Cordova.