First Lutheran Church in downtown San Diego has anchored Third Avenue since 1888, making it the oldest Lutheran congregation in Southern California and a continuous institutional presence through two world wars, the Great Depression, and the neighborhood's modern revitalization. The church founded the Third Avenue Charitable Organization (TACO) as a 501(c)(3) that now provides weekly meals, clothing distribution, mail services, and social-work referrals from the congregation's Third Avenue campus. A member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Pacifica Synod, the congregation earned Reconciling in Christ designation in 1989, formally affirming LGBTQ+ individuals in worship and leadership before most mainline congregations had addressed the question. TACO has expanded to include partnerships with medical, dental, and legal-aid providers who deliver pro bono services on-site, converting the church campus into a one-stop social-service access point for residents on the neighborhood's financial and social margins. That integrated-services model positions the congregation as a referral hub for downtown's most vulnerable residents, many of whom also access meal programs and housing support through Serving Seniors. The congregation's most resource-intensive operation remains the weekly TACO distribution cycle, which requires food-bank procurement, cold-chain storage, volunteer scheduling, and compliance with San Diego County health-department protocols for on-site meal preparation.