L.A. food giveaway draws thousands - and runs out of supplies - amid surging inflation

"Volunteers started distributing supplies at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, and by 11:30 a.m. all 2,000 boxes were gone, according to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. Bumper-to-bumper traffic continued to line the surrounding streets, and scores of people were turned away empty-handed."

""To know that people are lining up as early as 5 o'clock in the morning, because it's that important to them, tells me that the need is just so great," said L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, "and it's unfortunate that we don't have enough for everybody.""

"Solis' office organized Wednesday's drive-through food distribution as part of a partnership launched last month with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank to address growing food insecurity in her district. Although food insecurity is a longstanding problem in L.A. County, the issue has taken on new urgency as inflation nationwide has surged."

"On Tuesday, the U.S. government announced that the inflation rate had hit a three-year high in April as the war on Iran raised the cost of energy. Gas prices have spiked by more than $1.50 across the U.S. in just over two months, hitting a national average of $4.50 a gallon and an average of $6.15 a gallon in California, according to the American Automobile Assn. In April, grocery prices rose by 0.7%, the biggest one month jump in nearly four years, as meat, dairy and produce all saw notable cost increases, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics."

Cars lined Baldwin Park Boulevard before sunrise for a drive-through distribution of free groceries. Volunteers began handing out supplies at 8:45 a.m. and all 2,000 boxes were gone by 11:30 a.m., leaving many people turned away. Traffic continued to build on surrounding streets as demand exceeded available supplies. Hilda Solis said early morning lines show how great the need is and that there is not enough for everyone. The distribution was organized through a partnership with the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank launched last month to address food insecurity in her district. Inflation has increased urgency, with higher energy costs, spiking gas prices, and grocery price increases affecting household budgets, especially for working-class families, seniors, and people on disability payments.

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