Drive Via Meals Pantries Assist Weak Households In Orange, Los Angeles Counties – CBS Los Angeles

SANTA ANA (CBSLA) – More than 2,000 cars lined up outside Calvary Chapel in Santa Ana on Saturday morning to receive much-needed food aid from the Orange County Power of One Foundation.

The foundation, which holds a giveaway for groceries every Saturday, set up a drive-through pantry in the parking lot of the Kalvarienbergkapelle from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to help vulnerable families get groceries for the week.

The organization said they used to have around 1,200 families in the food giveaways. That number has grown steadily with the ongoing pandemic, and many still face economic problems.

Aleja Valdivia and her husband have been living in their car since she was fired from her job because of the pandemic. While trying to stay afloat financially, she said she was relieved to see so many others need help too.

“I said to my husband, ‘You see? We’re not the only ones, ”she said. “It’s hard … we are givers. We share everything we have. Sometimes it’s hard for someone to be proud because they don’t want to ask. Don’t be afraid to ask. “

Nancy Marin was a dozen cars behind her. She’s still working, but with reduced hours and three teenagers at home, things get tough.

“They are teenagers and they are eating!” She said. “You can’t say, ‘Oh, there is nothing. ‘You can’t tell them that. So we have to bypass the budget and feed them! “

The pressure of a month-long drop in income makes many families feel the pinch like never before. The Power of One Foundation organizes several food giveaways every week. They now distribute around 10,000 boxes every week.

“You can see that the line is extra long today and when we go out into the cold more and people try to increase the budget and utility bills even in winter, there are all of these effects,” said Shawnee Witt, a spokesman for the Organizations.

The food boxes contain fresh fruit, meat, dairy products and other essentials.

A drive-through pantry has also been established in Los Angeles County. The LA Regional Food Bank was giving away groceries from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

As COVID-19 cases increase across the country, several grocery stores are also restricting the number of essential items a person can buy to help help prevent the shortages identified at the beginning of the pandemic.

Experts encourage consumers not to hoard and ensure they leave enough supplies for whatever they need.