Alfred E. Ranford Dies; Provided Meals for Homeless

Services were held Monday for Alfred E. (Al) Ranford, who was known for his work feeding the homeless. Ranford died Tuesday in a Los Angeles hospital at the age of 76. For the last 10 years, Ranford and his wife have served home-cooked meals to between 100 and 150 homeless people every Sunday in Twin Lakes Park.

“He was the kind of person who would give his last dime,” said his widow, Bernice Ranford. “Nobody ever asked him to. He just sensed that someone needed it.”

At 3 p.m. every Sunday, rain or shine, the Garden Grove couple delivered chicken, ham and lasagna dinners.

“We had an agreement that he wouldn’t cook,” after he suggested making an entire dinner of beans, his wife said with a laugh. Instead, Al Ranford did the legwork: shopping, picking up donations and setting up the food in the park.

Between those rounds, he delivered diapers to poor mothers around the county, his wife said.

“He was fantastic,” said Mardi Reynolds, 57, who became friends with the couple when they started the “Picnic in the Park” 10 years ago. “They spent about $150 a week on supplies. Nobody can afford to do that.”

The Ranfords served between 100 and 150 people on a day when other soup kitchens run by area churches are closed.

“We often refer people to the park for food on Sunday,” said Louise Barker, 73, of Lutheran Social Services in Garden Grove.

Bernice Ranford said she will continue the Sunday meal. Already a few volunteers have offered to pick up donations, she said.

Mass was celebrated at St. Columbans Catholic Church in Garden Grove. At his request, the ashes will be scattered near the El Cajon Pass.