Cal Guard surpasses milestone packaging 15 million meals

By Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Cossel | California National GuardMay 2, 2020

Cal Guard surpasses milestone packaging 15 million meals
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Jorge Barriga, 250th Military Intelligence Soldier, hands out food at a mobile distribution site of the Imperial Valley Food Bank in Imperial, California, on April 3, 2020. The food banks have adopted a drive-through system that allows their clients to stay in their vehicles and reduces person-to-person contact. (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Katie Grandori) VIEW ORIGINAL
Cal Guard surpasses milestone packaging 15 million meals
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Joshua A. Mosley, left, and Staff Sgt. Chris Petrossian, both of the California Army National Guard’s 115th Regional Support Group load food items into a volunteer truck to distribute to Napa Valley residents who are homebound during the COVID-19 crisis while working at Pope Valley Farm Center in St. Helena, California, April 1, 2020. Cal Guardsmen have been filling the need for food bank distribution as regular volunteers are sheltering at home due to the COVID-19 crisis. (Photo Credit: Airman 1st Class Melanie L. Nolen) VIEW ORIGINAL
Cal Guard surpasses milestone packaging 15 million meals
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – California Army National Guardsmen and California Conservation Corps (CCC) corpsmen work together at a Sacramento food bank preparing meals for the Northern California community stricken by the COVID-19 outbreak. The two organizations share similar functions and goals and sometimes interact during state emergency situations. Since mid-March, CalGuard was activated to support food banks throughout California. Some food bank missions will likely be solely tasked to CCC as CalGuard ventures into other humanitarian missions. (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Edward Siguenza) VIEW ORIGINAL

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Working since their initial activation on March 19, Soldiers and Airmen of the California National Guard reached a historic milestone, April 27, packaging more than 15 million meals to serve California's most vulnerable populations.

When California Gov. Gavin Newsom activated Soldiers and Airmen of the California National Guard for the state's COVID-19 response, one of the needs immediately identified was at the state's food banks. Severely impacted by the steep drop in volunteers due to the stay-at-home orders, Soldiers and Airmen of the California National Guard's Joint Task Force 115 filled the gap and got to work.

"In any given month, we're serving over 17,000 families, that translates to more than 55,000 families," explained Suzanne Willis, marketing director, Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz.

As Willis explained, since the stay at home order was put into place and businesses around the state closed their doors, demand for services has increased at a rate nearly double what her organization is used to serving.

"We wouldn't be able to do this without the help of the California National Guard," she said. "We've seen our need grow, and minimally, double in the last couple of weeks."

Across the state, food bank directors have praised the work of the California National Guard, noting they've processed more food in a single day then they usually can prepare in a week. Currently, the Cal Guard has deployed Guard members to 18 counties up and down the state assisting food banks wherever the need has been identified.

"I think the 15 million meal mark is a great milestone for our Airmen and Soldiers out there," said Air Force Col. Douglas Hire, JTF 115 Commander. "They are feeling a sense of accomplishment in working in communities where they live and work.

Hire added there's an extra sense of pride his Airmen and Soldiers feel knowing they are giving back to the neighborhoods they live and work.

"They are able to give back to those communities and, at the same time, meet the Governor's priorities of taking care of the vulnerable populations, and keeping the food supply open," said Hire.

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