Saturday distribution
Every Saturday, 7–10 AM. Volunteers load 250 to 400 pre-packed family boxes — rice, beans, pasta, canned goods, frozen meat, bread — straight into cars. First-come, first-served until boxes run out.
Free groceries · East Mesa
Open Saturdays 7–10 AM at 590 N. 96th Street.
Drive up, roll down your window, leave with a box of groceries. No paperwork, no income test, no questions about why you're in line. Hablamos español. Bienvenidos.
Three ways in.
Whether you need a box of groceries, have a Saturday morning to spare, or want to fund next week's tables — here's where to start.
Need groceries?
Saturdays, 7–10 AM. Bring a photo ID and something with your local address on it. Drive up, we'll load your car. The whole stop takes about five minutes.
Visit our pantry →Got a Saturday morning?
About 25 volunteers run the lot every week — sorters, packers, greeters, loaders. No application, no interview. Court-ordered service hours welcome. Just show up at 7 AM.
Show up Saturday →Want to fund Saturday?
Every dollar buys groceries for next Saturday's boxes. We don't pay salaries and we don't take government money — by choice. Your dollar on Tuesday is on the table by Saturday.
Fund Saturday's groceries →
Why we're here
Same parking lot. Same answer every Saturday.
For more than a decade, the lot at 590 N. 96th Street has given the same answer to the same question: yes, we have a box for you.
There's no intake form, no income test, no questions about why someone's in line — just a photo ID, proof you live nearby, and a pre-packed box of groceries handed through a car window. About 25 volunteers run the morning, and a striking number of them are former pantry guests now packing boxes for their neighbors. The board takes no salary. The pantry takes no government money. A Tuesday check becomes Saturday's groceries; a refrigerated truck on a weekly grocer route becomes 1,200 to 1,500 East Mesa neighbors fed.
More about Desert Manna →
What we run.
Saturday morning is the heart of it, but it's not the only thing. Here's how the week stacks up to fill 250 to 400 boxes by 7 AM.
Bilingual service
Spanish-speaking volunteers, signage, and instructions every Saturday morning. If you'd rather be helped in Spanish, just say so at the window.
Grocery rescue
Our refrigerated truck runs a weekly route, picking up donations from local grocers. Those rescues — plus partner food banks — fill Saturday's boxes.
Holiday boxes
Heavier, more festive boxes around Thanksgiving and Christmas, with extras tucked in by partner churches and the Arizona Food Bank Network when the line is longer than usual.
Volunteer pathway
About 25 hands on deck every Saturday — first-timers, longtime regulars, former pantry guests now packing boxes, and people fulfilling court-ordered service hours. No interview, no application.
Out-of-area referrals
Live outside East Mesa? We'll still serve you while boxes last, and we'll point you to a pantry closer to home — United Food Bank, St. Mary's, or a partner church near you.
$0 in salaries. $0 from the government. Every dollar buys groceries.
We feed 1,200 to 1,500 East Mesa neighbors every Saturday with an all-volunteer crew and zero government funding — by choice. Your dollar on Tuesday is on the table by Saturday.
Fund Saturday's groceries