Angelenos in need amid the COVID-19 pandemic picked up fresh groceries at a drive-thru food pantry Thursday morning in Van Nuys.
Up to 2,000 carloads of groceries will be given out during the four-hour event outside Van Nuys City Hall in the 14400 block of Sylvan St., a news release announcing the event stated.
Drivers who show up between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. were asked to remain in their vehicles while volunteers wearing masks and gloves place the items in their trunk or backseat.
The packages included about 36 pounds of groceries, including poultry or beef.
“At first, we were feeding two, three, four hundred families. Now it’s turning into thousands,” a volunteer outside the food bank said Thursday. “As long as they keep coming, we’re going to keep feeding them,” he said.
By 8:30 a.m., the line to pick up the goods stretched for more than a mile.
“The event is designed to assist those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic that has shut down businesses and created hardships for Angelenos everywhere,” the news release stated.
The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and L.A. Federation of Labor came together with City Council President Nury Martinez to help organize the event.
Walk-up participants without transportation were also be welcomed at the event, according to the release.