One of the most vibrant ministries of the River of Life Foundation (ROLF) is its food pantry program and facilities. Their program serves over 15,000 families, an estimated 45,000 people, per month. A key component of this outreach is the annual Thanksgiving Fair and Luncheon, an event designed to give back to the community. This year, the event will be held on November 16th.
Hosted in collaboration with the River of Life Christian Church’s New Wave English Ministry and the Santa Clara Mayor’s Office, the Thanksgiving Fair provides more than hot meals and family-friendly activities. As Sam Loh, president of ROLF, explains, many attendees come not just for the food, but for the opportunity to address spiritual and emotional needs.
“I think people are looking forward to [the Fair] for more of the spiritual need. Because they say, ‘Last time I was here, somebody prayed for me.’”
In an interview with the Gospel Herald, Loh shared that while ROLF has long supported its food pantry clients with turkeys and other necessities during the Thanksgiving season, as a faith-based organization, they wanted to do more.
“Three years ago, we said, hey, maybe we can invite [people] to our facility, and not only we will have an opportunity to reach out and sit down with them, talk to them, we can also have an opportunity to pray for them.”
Looking forward to this year’s Thanksgiving Fair, Loh reflects on the impact the event had over the last few years.
“A lot of families come with a lot of burden. So when we talk to them during meals, they really share a lot of the things that, you know, their difficulties. They were able to share with us, to ask us to pray for them,” he said. “Even though we don’t say we’re gonna evangelize you, we have people available for them if they need prayer, if they need full support.”
This year, more than 150 volunteers will be serving in various roles, from serving food and managing game booths to providing counseling and prayer. Volunteers are a vital part of the Fair, offering not just physical help but emotional and spiritual support.
Last year, around 2,000 people attended the event, not including volunteers. This year, ROLF expects to welcome over 2,500 attendees from across Santa Clara County.
ROLF's food pantry program serves clients from at least five different nationalities on a regular basis. To further enhance the event’s reach, the foundation has partnered with local Spanish-speaking churches and community leaders. The Fair has extended its invitations to senior homes, interim housing facilities, and homeless shelters. Several local non-profits, including CityTeam, have also joined in support.
When asked what he sees as the major highlight of the Fair, Loh said: “We find that this fair really impacts a lot of families. They have a lot of emotional needs or spiritual needs or physical needs, and they’re able to come during the festival season, and they find that there are people here that would talk to them, people here that would pray for them, and people here that are willing to listen to them. We find that that’s very impactful and life-changing for a lot of these people.”
Loh added that the feedback from past attendees has been very positive. “All these people came in the past year and said, hey, thank you. Not only the food, the hot meal, but the ability to have somebody listen to what I have to say.”
As one of California’s largest food pantries by the number of people served, ROLF has garnered widespread recognition for its outreach. They are also the largest Asian operation that has been able to reach and impact so many. Despite its roots in the Asian community, 80% of ROLF’s clientele comes from non-Asian backgrounds. The foundation is also part of a robust network of local non-profits, helping distribute food and services to those in need from its facility.
“I think that is something we need to somehow let the people in the community know. There is help. We can help, both on the spiritual and emotional level, and for sure the physical level,” Loh said.
