National Guard and California Volunteers deployed to assist food banks amid shutdown

A staff member said the National Guard and California Volunteers were deployed to the LA Food Bank and were assessing needs across California to support families affected by "this shutdown."

The staff member said officials were working to "make sure that we're supporting our communities as we head into the holidays and as food prices continue to rise."

A reporter added that NBC 4 was live at a Studio City food pantry where there was a large turnout for meal delivery and that NBC 4's Carmen Dickerson would have more on the need coming up at 4.

Officials did not specify the size or duration of the deployment, how it is being funded, or which benefits may be affected. The staff member said assessments were under way statewide to determine needs but provided no further operational details during the remarks.

The announcements signal state-level coordination with the National Guard and volunteer organizations to support food distribution while officials continue to evaluate demand and service needs; further details were not provided in the briefing.