Pantries Revamp Operations to Feed Residents as Less Federal Food Boxes Are Sent to Orange County

[quaint]

Voice of OC

$1.5 billion worth of food is being given out all across the U.S., courtesy of the federal government, but local food distribution leaders say Orange County residents will receive very little of that aid.

The program is in its fifth round and California, with a population over 39.5 million and a state which had one of the highest poverty rates before the pandemic, is receiving less than 1.3 million boxes of food.

“Orange County represents 8% of California’s total population and it looks like you will be getting 5% of the total boxes available in California,” Wilder said.

“65% of the state’s population is in Southern California 35% in Northern California. So we split our boxes up that way,” Wilder said.

“Unfortunately, the majority of boxes for California, over a million, were awarded to a company in Northern California and nonprofit agencies said that they either could not get a response from them or they were informed that they would not provide distribution south of Fresno. So their boxes are not coming into Southern California at all,” she added.

Sad. Hungry kids. Another thing for our POTUS to fix.