Desert Storm Surplus Makes Its Way to Needy
More than 200 tons of surplus food, originally stockpiled by the Department of Defense to feed Operation Desert Storm troops, is being distributed to the homeless, senior citizens and other needy San Diegans for Thanksgiving meals.
Soup kitchens and other community agencies are expected to feed 250,000 to 300,000 people with the prepackaged meals, soups, side dishes, desserts and candy, said Richard Gross, resource coordinator for the county Office of Disaster Preparedness.
The goods, valued at nearly $1 million, are part of a $300-million federal program to redistribute surplus Desert Storm supplies to needy families across the nation. Surplus packages containing combs, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other hygiene items were distributed earlier this summer, Gross said.
Community agencies such as the St. Vincent de Paul Joan Kroc Center and the Salvation Army are paying the $50,000 to distribute the food, assisted by Marines. The food is being stored at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot.
Soup kitchens will use the food in preparing mass meals for the homeless, Gross said. Other agencies will send the “meals ordered ready to eat” home with needy families.
The current distribution program, begun last week, should be completed in time for Thanksgiving, Gross said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
