With the government shutdown and many federal workers are wondering how they’ll put food on their table, several local nonprofits from San Diego are stepping in to help with a pop-up food pantry.
“We are an emergency service provider,” said Casey Castillo, the CEO of the San Diego Food Bank.
Those emergency services are now available to thousands of San Diego federal workers impacted by the government shutdown.
San Diego is home to about 47,000 federal employees and more than 100,000 military personnel.
“As this shutdown prolongs, we’re worried about that first missed check,” Castillo said.
Starting today, the San Diego Food Bank and Jewish Family Services partnered to host a weekly drive-through for impacted families at the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Campus in Kearney Mesa. Recipients will get non-perishable pantry staples and fresh produce.
Castillo said the food bank will make adjustments to the food distributions, according to people’s needs.
“Federal workers are like all of us,” Castillo said. “They’re not necessarily high-paying jobs.”
Castillo said last year was the San Diego Food Bank’s second-highest distribution year, with 44 million meals, second only to 2021, during the pandemic.
“As we see demand increase, now with these additional pressures like a government shutdown, we’re concerned what that’s going to mean for the families that we’re serving, but also the families that are right there on the edge,” Castillo said.
If you’re interested in learning more, you can call the San Diego Food Bank or visit its website for a food locator map — just type in your ZIP code and it will pull up the nearest distribution pop-up for you.
Dining and Cooking