Freshly picked cabbage that was meant to be delivered to hundreds of seniors sat wilting and unused Friday at the Giving Farm run by Community Action Partnership of Orange County.
Read more San Francisco immigration court shuts down after purge of judges, leaving asylum cases in chaos
The produce, along with many other perishables and food items that would have been boxed and sent out Friday to hundreds of food pantries and organizations across Orange County, was out of reach following evacuations ordered because a tank containing a flammable and volatile chemical used in plastics and manufacturing was malfunctioning and threatening to blow up at an aerospace plant nearby in Garden Grove.
Some 40,000 people in West Garden Grove and nearby cities were ordered out of the area amid the chemical scare, including staff and volunteers with the Community Action Partnership, an organization that, in addition to other services, operates the OC Food Bank. Its property is within two blocks of the area where responders were trying to contain the chemical tank.
See also: Strawberry Festival is open, but 5K and parade postponed amid Garden Grove hazmat crisis
“It’s a very dangerous situation for us and nearby residents,” said Gregory Scott, the organization’s president and CEO, adding that he and his staff were being updated throughout the day Friday by Garden Grove police and fire on the status of the threat. “It’s definitely very scary and our No. 1 priority is for the safety of our staff.”
Scott said early Friday his staff notified the dozens of volunteers and team members who routinely help with food and other services to stay home. Typically, there are two shifts that help in the morning and afternoon. Trucks and drivers that would otherwise have rolled up to pick up deliveries for food pantries around the area or drop off supplies were told to stay away.
“We had loads scheduled for which we had to cancel deliveries and we had to cancel loads coming in from the government today,” Scott said. “We were unable to pick up seven bins of just-picked cabbage at our Giving Farm and we had to call seniors to advise them that we can’t deliver food. We alerted our districts, Sen. (Tom) Umberg to see how they could assist us and sent all of our food bank partners advisories of the closure.
Read more Giant inflatable artworks have taken over The Hague
See also: Kennedy High graduation canceled by Garden Grove hazmat concerns will be rescheduled
“It had a big impact on our operations.”
In addition to food services, Scott said thousands of people who can’t pay their utility bills also come to the organization for assistance.
“We get thousands of people every day who come to our lobby and apply for utility assistance,” he said. “We had to shut down our call center altogether.
“The longer it goes, the more people are impacted, and we’re unable to support. If it goes a week, that’s over 5,000 seniors who won’t get food. Then those who come from the food pantries won’t get food and that will be in the thousands as well.”
The partnership serves 250 food partners per month, potentially affecting tens of thousands, he said.
Read more How worried should you be about a Garden Grove chemical spill or explosion’s impact on your health?