Our History

The idea for the Seva Collective started in April of 2020. We were moved by the gravity of the pandemic and were called to action to live up to our values. In May of 2020, we held our first food distribution at the Sikh Center of Orange County in Santa Ana. We didn't know the first thing about how to to run a food pantry, but with the deep desire to serve our community and the chardikala to overcome the unknowns, we put on our first drive.  We were inundated with hundreds of families who needed assistance, and we immediately realized the depth and realities of food insecurity in our community.  And we knew that we had to commit to the cause in order to make a lasting impact. 

As the world began opening up, we found an amazing partner in the Santa Ana Unified School District.  We moved our distributions to Raymond Villa Fundamental Intermediate School and continued to serve nearly 600 families at each distribution.  We formally created the Seva Collective, a registered non-profit, to focus our organization on service.  We also created valuable partnerships with The Orange County Food Bank, Food Forward, Bimbo and other amazing organizations to continue to bring nutritious, fresh food to those we serve.

We continue to hold distribution events twice monthly at Raymond Villa Fundamental Intermediate School.  At each drive, we serve over 600 families and distribute over 25,000 pounds of healthy nutritious food.  In addition to our food distributions, we hold two Holiday Gift Drives; one in December and another in April. The Seva Collective also hosts a Back-To-School Backpack Drive before the start of the new school year.