Mary's Kitchen is now Mary's Kitchen Pantry & Mobile Pop-Up

About Us overview

Today with the help of our volunteers and in coordination with our partners, Mary's Kitchen Pantry is able to provide families and individuals (over 16,000 people in general) who are experiencing food-insecurity through out Orange county with roughly 20 tons of rescued food per month. 

Volunteers Get it Done
- part one -
The Pantry

Volunteers Get it Done
- part two -
The Mobile Pop-Up

Meet Gary & His Peeps
- behind the scenes -
The Film Crew

About Us brief history

In 1984 Mary's Kitchen was established in the city of Orange California as a soup kitchen that prepared 2 hot meals daily for roughly 50+ individuals, 6 days a week for 38 years.

In 2022 Mary's Kitchen relocated to Anaheim California and rebranded itself as Mary's Kitchen Pantry. With its new mission to implement its own food sustainability practices, Mary's Kitchen Pantry (no longer a 'soup kitchen') vertically integrated it's services, first as a food rescue, second as a food pantry, third as a free farmer's market-style mobile pop-up pantry, and fourth as an environmentally friendly food waste recycler.

About Us our founder

- Meet Mary -

Born in 1903, Mary McAnena grew up among the emerald splendor of Roscommon Ireland. At age 18 Mary would travel to America as a Nursing student. Once settled in New York she discovered her calling, and lived a lifetime of caring for others. When Mary retired from nursing she moved to California and settled in the city of Orange where she had planned to live out her days. A chance encounter with a homeless woman in 1985 would then propel Mary into a new phase of her life. At age 82 she would discover a new purpose and a new passion, feeding folks suffering from food insecurity full time. Soon thereafter Mary established Mary's Kitchen as a 501(c) 3 charitable organization in the city of Orange.

In 2003 just before she passed away Mary received the prestigious Albert Schweitzer Award of Excellence. She worked at Mary's Kitchen right up to her last day, leading by example she provided for those who needed it until they could provide for themselves. She was 100 years old. From those early days in 1985 Mary coalesced a roster of key individuals to help her in her mission to feed the hungry. These individuals ranged from city and county appointees, to business liaisons and representatives of private and public organizations, both for profit and nonprofit. From this pool of expertise Mary formed her board of directors and with them made Mary's Kitchen infamous. We still get inquiries from folks in New York who had heard about how good the food was at Mary's Kitchen. 

Mary McAnena working the stoves at Mary's Kitchen in 2003. She was 100 years old when this picture was taken.

About Us our leadership

- Meet Gloria -

After graduating from University of North Dakota in 1961 with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Political Science, Gloria I. Suess, a devout Catholic, took a big step and moved to California. After raising a family Gloria would pursue a career in real estate. It was during this time that Gloria would develop her professional network of contacts and associates. One of these contacts was a woman named Mary. In 1988, after running Mary's Kitchen on her own for a couple of years, Mary recruited Gloria. It soon became apparent that Mary had plans for Gloria. Driven by a deep sense of compassion and a commitment to making a difference in her community, after Mary's passing in 2003 Gloria took on both roles as President and CEO of Mary’s Kitchen.

With over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and humanitarian work, Gloria has been instrumental in expanding Mary’s Kitchen’s reach and impact across Orange County. Under her leadership, the organization has grown from a small grassroots effort into a critical service provider, helping thousands of families and individuals who face food insecurity.
When the circumstances dictated that Mary's Kitchen relocate from the city of Orange to Anaheim in 2022, Gloria took that opportunity and re-imagined what the role for Mary's Kitchen would be from that point moving forward.
At the helm Gloria re-branded Mary’s Kitchen from a soup kitchen for individuals, to Mary's Kitchen Pantry a food rescue with a mobile pop-up pantry that now brings fresh foods and essential supplies directly to the families in underserved communities. Mary's Kitchen Pantry also does its part for the environment by organizing all of its expired food as bio-waste to be recycled.
Her strategic vision has not only enhanced the organization’s operational efficiency but has also forged strong partnerships with local businesses, government agencies, and other nonprofits which help to amplify the mission of Mary’s Kitchen Pantry.
Beyond her roles at Mary’s Kitchen Pantry, Gloria’s unwavering dedication to improving the lives of others has earned her recognition within the nonprofit sector and the respect of the countless volunteers, donors, and families she works alongside every day.
Through her leadership, Gloria I. Suess continues to make a lasting impact at Mary’s Kitchen Pantry and on the communities it serves, ensuring that the organization remains a beacon of hope for those in need across Southern California.