Drive-Thru Food Distribution: How Nonprofits are Supporting Federal Workers Affected by the Shutdown

With the recent government shutdown, many federal workers in San Diego are feeling the pinch. Local nonprofits are stepping up by providing a pop-up food pantry to assist those in need.

“We are an emergency service provider,” says Casey Castillo, CEO of the San Diego Food Bank. These services are crucial for the thousands affected by the shutdown.

San Diego has around 47,000 federal employees and over 100,000 military personnel. “As this shutdown drags on, we worry about families facing their first missed paycheck,” Castillo adds.

To help, the San Diego Food Bank is teaming up with Jewish Family Services to run a weekly drive-through food distribution. This will take place at the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Campus in Kearney Mesa. Families can pick up essential pantry items and fresh produce.

“We’re adjusting our distributions based on what people need,” Castillo explains. “Federal employees, like many of us, don’t always have high-paying jobs.”

Last year, the San Diego Food Bank was exceptionally busy, distributing 44 million meals—its second-highest total ever, just behind the pandemic peak in 2021. Castillo expresses concern over the escalating demand due to situations like the current shutdown, which puts further strain on vulnerable families.

Interestingly, according to a recent survey by Feeding America, food insecurity has risen significantly in the past year, affecting millions of households nationwide. This trend parallels economic pressures many are currently facing, making food assistance more critical than ever.

If you want to find local food distribution, you can call the San Diego Food Bank or check out their website, where you can enter your ZIP code to locate the nearest pantry.

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