California officials launch Operation Feed California; National Guard sent to support food banks

A staff member for California officials said Tuesday that Governor Newsom has deployed the National Guard and California Volunteers to support food banks as the state launches Operation Feed California, a volunteer-driven effort to help residents facing rising food and health-care costs ahead of the holidays.

The staff member said the effort pairs the governor's office with local partners including the San Diego Food Bank, San Diego State University and area nonprofits, and called on "hundreds of volunteers" to help. "When Washington DC acts with chaos and cruelty, California steps up with compassion," the staff member said. "We will support each other, and we will have to continue to do this amidst the chaos that we see in DC."

Officials described Operation Feed California as a public appeal for neighborhood-level assistance. "We are also launching Operation Feed California, where we are gonna be calling on Californians throughout San Diego, throughout the state of California — grocery buddy — to find someone in your neighborhood who needs an extra hand, who needs a bag of groceries," the staff member said. The announcement emphasized heightened need as food prices and health-care costs rise during the holiday season.

The statement named the San Diego Food Bank and San Diego State University as partners and said hundreds of volunteers are involved. Specific operational details on how to sign up, who will coordinate volunteers locally, and exact roles for the National Guard and California Volunteers were not specified in the remarks.

Officials did not propose or adopt any formal policy or budget action during the remarks. Additional details and volunteer registration information were not provided in the statement.