Why Expand Now?

COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on our state and region. Just over 11 percent of Californians are out of worki and 13.1% are unemployed in Kern Countyii as of August. There are now individuals visiting our Food Bank who never thought they would need our services before. Our nation is hurting and we anticipate the effects of job loss will carry over far into the next year. Current CDC projections estimate that we might be able to resume normal life in the third quarter of 2021. That’s a long time for vulnerable seniors to remain quarantined without a safe way to receive food and that’s an even longer time for businesses and schools to be operating in a limited capacity. The long-term fiscal effects of the pandemic are unknown, but we know we can address our community’s most basic need: the need for food. In our almost forty years of serving Kern County, we’ve learned that providing food for people brings hope to our neighbors in need. Catastrophes have a way of bringing communities together. We’ve seen people from all walks of life reaching out for assistance during these uncertain times—many for the first time in their lives. We see the growing demand firsthand—with the need increasing year after year. We see it increasing year after year. We know that we must reach beyond our organization for the help we need to expand the CAPK Food Bank warehouse and Feed Kern Now.

A masked volunteer loads a truck with food during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic.

Client Testimonial:

Laura Carrillo, CAPK Food Bank Client and Volunteer

Laura is a volunteer at the CAPK Food Bank who first began volunteering at the Farmer’s Markets. When the pandemic hit, her circumstances changed. After working for the same family as a housekeeper for over thirty years she was laid off. Now she’s a food bank client.

“I’ve never gone through any kind of hardships until now, in the pandemic. Right now, things are hard for us. Getting food from the Food Bank might seem like a simple thing—I know it felt like a simple thing when I was just a volunteer—but now, as a client, I can tell you it’s such a huge deal for so many people. It changed me, knowing that I don’t have to worry about having food on the table for my family—that is the biggest blessing a person can have.”