There’s a real need for supplemental food in Taft especially with the cuts caused by the federal government shutdown.
On Thursday, CAPK (The Community Action Partnership of Kern) came to Taft and brought food for more than 2000 families in three large trucks.
It was a major undertaking withe CAPK, the West Side Recreation and Park District and the United States Army National Guard teaming up to unload the food and pass it out to cars that lined up for two hours or longer.
“We prepared for 2200,” said Jeffrey Marsh of CAPK.
Asked if he expects to give all that food away, Marsh said “I hope so. We need to stay busy to get to that number. We are not going to run out of food.”
Cars started lining up before the giveaway was scheduled to start at 9 a.m. and last until 7 p.m.
By 9 a.m. there was a long line up cars on Bob Hampton Road and by 10 a.m., when the giveaway was supposed to start that line stretched passes the cemetery almost to Airport Road.
Some people walked to the site.
Marsh said a similar giveaway in Ridgecrest on Tuesday provided food to 800 to 900 families.
He said demand for the food is up significantly because of the government shutdown and funding cuts.
“We are looking at nearly a 50 percent increase in food (given away) compared to what we were already doing each month,” Marsh said.
A federal judge orders the Trump administration last week to restore full funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps low-income individuals and families purchase groceries and that includes CalFresh, but there is no information on how long it will take to restart benefits to people.
Another CAPK food giveaway is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 20 but that has not been confirmed.