Universal Studios Hollywood donated over 10,000 pounds of fresh food to a variety of organizations, which include the local Help the Children Food Pantry off Castaic Road.
Through the organization Rock and Wrap it Up, the Castaic Food Pantry was able to go to a site and pick up food not being used at the Universal Studio Hollywood theme park to ensure it won’t get wasted.
“We had to rent a truck to pick up the food,” said Diane Davis, Castaic Food Pantry coordinator. “We were shocked at the amount of food they were donating to us. It was either somebody picks it up or they toss it into the trash.”
Diced onion, chopped jalapenos, fresh produce, hard-boiled eggs, meat, salad dressing, cheese, meat, black and refried beans and a large quantity of pasta sauce were all items that Davis picked up for the pantry.
“Best of all, we got milk,” said Davis. “Milk has become a hot commodity as of late.”
Prior to receiving this donation, the food pantry was running incredibly low on supply and was seeking donations from the community because they “didn’t know what they were going to do.”
With the large donation of food, Davis redistributed some of the food throughout the community to help other organizations in need of a donation. One of the organizations was the SCV-based homeless shelter Bridge to Home.
Currently, the pantry is full of products and is open to those in the community who are in need of some groceries during this time. Davis encourages seniors to visit the pantry because she has seen how difficult grocery shopping has become for this population because of COVID-19 concerns.
“I think everyone is coming together and we are helping seniors who are low on money or couldn’t get what they needed at the market,” said Davis. “At the end of the day, I was overwhelmed to be able to have this opportunity.”
