Casa Blanca Home of Neighborly Service has long been on a mission to empower the community by officering a variety of services ranging from education and guidance to training and free resource. But a recent grant from Inland Empire Community Foundation has provided an extra boost of resources that led to notable results.
“The grant benefits us greatly, especially with our food pantry for food distribution,” said Gerardo Pulido, Executive Director of Casa Blanca.
The food pantry serves about 100 families on a first-come, first-served basis from 9-10 a.m. every Wednesday.
“We serve at least 80 families every Wednesday,” Pulido said. “We also have a monthly distribution service, where people come in once a month for emergency food. It’s like 300 participants during that month, and it’s very valuable.”
Grant funding also helped fund nonprofit events, most of which are free.
“These events help the community with many opportunities, even with something as simple as a backpack giveaway,” Pulido said, noting that in 2025, the organization gave away 500 backpacks to children in the community. The backpacks included, among other things, back-to-school supplies.
“Events like that offer a great resource,” he added. “Other local organizations attend and distribute items to the community. It helps locals remember that there are organizations here for them, not just us. It’s a collaborative mission.”
An annual turkey giveaway filters into the mix during the holiday season. Last year, the nonprofit distributed 150 turkeys, which was funded, in part, by grant resources.
Founded in 1957 by community members who realized a need for services that met basic needs, as well as education and outreach. The plan clicked and soon community-building activities were introduced. One of its main goals was to provide “neighbor-to-neighbor service.”
“I started as a volunteer, and I love to give back and get involved,” Pulido said. “I like to be here for my community. It feels good when you see the looks on people’s faces when they’re receiving the support that they need.”
Over time, Pulido noticed the nonprofit would benefit from having more volunteers.
“People needed a place to connect the people with specific types of services,” he said. “And I’m like, ‘What’s going on here? Why are we not providing what we should be providing.’ I wanted to know how we could improve because I just wanted to give back to the community.”
Other standouts within the nonprofit include Casa Blanca Elementary School. Riverside Unified School District has brought innovative STEM-integrated instructional practices into the school’s programming. The school includes three learning labs and three open-terrace learning spaces that create a valuable learning environment designed for hands-on, collaborative learning for students.
“I want people to know we’re here for them,” Pulido said. “I’m not sure many people know that we partner with many other organizations and that collectively, we’re here for the community. We want to build that trust with them, because I know how humbling it could be for someone who is in need and has never found themselves in a situation where they needed food.
“Those type of services, even medical services, and something like Cal Fresh are important, and we’re able to help people with all that, especially with any language barriers,” he added. “We have Spanish speakers here, so in that way, people won’t find themselves in a situation to where, like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I want to go there, because I don’t know if they’re going to understand me.’”
Pulido encourages people to consider volunteering and also to abreast of the organization’s events calendar on its website. Coming up: Summer Movie Night on July 23.
“It feels good to help and comfort others,” Pulido said. “That’s the main mission—just to comfort one another.”
This story originally appeared in the Press Enterprise, May 2026.
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