Photo By Staff Sgt. Katie Grandori | IMPERIAL, Calif. – IMPERIAL, Calif. – Spc. Jorge Barriga, 250th Military...... read more read more
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IMPERIAL, Calif. – Soldiers of the California Army National Guard’s 315th Vertical Construction Company are assisting the Imperial Valley Food Bank in Imperial, California. Eight Soldiers arrived at the food bank on April 2, 2020, and the unit has been helping ever since.
Soldiers are assisting in the warehouse, packaging and preparing food for distribution and handing out food to the public at the facility and in nearby communities.
“So far it has been going really well. I love how we are just helping out our community [and] our country,“ said Pfc. Leonardo Armenta. “Just seeing people’s reactions, I can tell that they feel good because we are just handing out food and making sure everything is alright. It feels good being out here and helping out.”
COVID-19 presents unique challenges to food banks across California who rely on volunteers. Many of the Imperial Valley’s volunteers are seniors or students.
“We have a 15-member staff here. We do amazing things getting food to 20,000 people a month. Part of that magic is having really great volunteers,” said Sara Griffen, the food bank’s executive director. “We do not want to put them at risk, but it leaves a very small skeleton staff to do way more than we are capable of on our own.”
The food bank provides a critical service to the area as Imperial County is one of the most impoverished communities in California. Griffen said that the unemployment rate is consistently in the double digits, and they were expecting it to increase as retail and restaurant workers are asked to stay home for social distancing.
“We are going to see a huge jump in unemployment, and the recovery is going to be difficult because we do not have the wealth here to bounce back quickly,” said Griffen.
Sgt. 1st Class Carlos Camacho, the company’s first sergeant, says the community is supportive. “Them wanting us to be here, wanting us to help them and support them, especially these smaller communities that may not get that big city support.”
Part of operating in a rural area means needing mobility to deliver food to the people who need it.
“We are the central warehouse,” said Griffen, “but we have to put that warehouse on wheels and take it to those rural areas where there are no services.”
Without assistance, they would not be able to continue to provide these services, Griffen said. She placed a request with state officials for assistance, and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services tasked the Cal Guard.
“I believe they had a day’s notice that they were coming.” said Griffen. “It has been impressive to see how they have arrived and are just ready to work and help out in any way. It could not be at a better time.”
Some of the food Soldiers are packaging for distribution is going to seniors, shut-ins, children who may not receive a school lunch and others who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have been on multiple state activations, from fire missions to the Santa Barbara mudslides and now supporting food banks by getting food out to the public,” said Camacho. “I’m just really proud of my Soldiers.”
Cal Guard has distributed 4.3 million meals, so far, at food banks statewide including more than 8,000 in Imperial County.
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| Date Taken: | 04.02.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.22.2020 18:28 |
| Story ID: | 368128 |
| Location: | IMPERIAL, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | SAN MARCOS, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 72 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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