Local non-profit Food For People, the food bank for Humboldt County, wants you to know that they are offering their services to furloughed employees as the government shutdown drags on.

Several other local organizations have been doing what they can to help out. The Sequoia Park Zoo is offering free entrance to furloughed employees and their families, the City of Eureka has been collecting donations to help Coast Guard workers during the shutdown, and the Eureka Theater has even been offering free admission to federal employees, to name a few.

Though there has been fear of the shutdown affecting programs like CalFresh, luckily they are still currently funded and here to help those in need.

More details from Food for People:

The programs of Food for People, the Food Bank for Humboldt County are available to help Humboldt County households impacted by the ongoing government shutdown, to provide supplemental food during this difficult time.  Please visit www.foodforpeople.org for a list of countywide pantries and their hours. Call (707) 445-3166 to make an appointment at Food for People’s Eureka Choice Pantry or to inquire about a pantry in another community.

In addition, Food for People’s Mobile Produce Pantry travels throughout Humboldt County to set up free farm-stand style produce distributions monthly in a number of communities. Please visit the website for the full schedule. Information and application assistance for CalFresh is also available at Food for People and at all Mobile Produce Pantry distributions countywide. For more information about CalFresh, visit www.foodforpeople.org/programs/calfresh-outreach or call Heidi McHugh at (707) 445-3166 ext. 308 or the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services at 1-877-410-8809.  For information about other available services call 2-1-1.

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Food for People, the food bank for Humboldt County, distributed nearly 2 million pounds of food last year to our county’s most vulnerable residents. Food for People is working to alleviate local hunger and improve the health of our community through its 18 programs which include a countywide network of emergency food pantries, food distribution programs for children, seniors and homebound individuals, nutrition education and outreach activities, local food recovery and gleaning efforts, as well as many partnerships throughout the community.

For more information, go to www.foodforpeople.org.   For more information on food bank resources for workers affected by the government shutdown, or to schedule an interview with Heidi McHugh and/or Deborah Waxman, contact Food for People (707) 445-3166. E-mail Heidi at hmchugh@foodforpeople.org or Deborah at dwaxman@foodforpeople.org.