Jewish Family Service hosts drive-thru food distribution for government workers on Oct. 15
Photo courtesy Jewish Family ServiceEast County News Services
Oct. 14, 2025 (San Diego) -- Jewish Family Service of San Diego has found another way to help those impacted by the United States federal government shutdown.
The nonprofit that helps the entire community, along with The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank, is hosting a drive-thru food distribution on Oct. 15 at Jewish Family Service of San Diego, Joan & Irwin Jacobs Campus in Kearny Mesa for families impacted by the shutdown.
Nearly 200 families of federal workers and those in the military will each receive about 40 pounds of food, including fresh produce, non-perishable and shelf-stable pantry food.
This will not be a one-and-done as the distributions will continue to be available every Wednesday at 8804 Balboa Ave., for as long as the shutdown continues. Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFSSD) actually started providing food to furloughed government workers and their families on Wednesday, Oct. 8.
With more than 107 years of service to the San Diego community, JFSSD has always stood ready to support neighbors -- especially during times of crisis like the current U.S. federal government shutdown.
JFSSD CEO Dana Toppel said that because of this latest government shutdown, many federal workers living in San Diego will face frozen or lost wages.
“As we’ve done in the past, including during the 2019 shutdown, we are moving quickly to meet the needs of local federal government employees or contractors, and their families,” Toppel said. “They are our neighbors, and we understand how stressful and uncertain this time can feel. We are hoping to ease some of the mental and financial burden they may be experiencing by providing weekly nutrition assistance for as long as the shutdown lasts.”
According to the Federal Reserve Bank, about 46,000 San Diegans have civilian federal jobs -- and there are 100,000 members of the military in San Diego.
Those families are grappling with the uncertainty caused by lost wages and jobs resulting from shutdown. The food distribution is designed to alleviate some stress and free up funds to cover other expenses.
The new distribution is in addition to JFSSD's regular weekly and monthly food distributions. For more details on those, click here.