Foodbank of Santa Barbara County projects thousands to attend holiday food distribution

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Preparations are underway for a major holiday food distribution for both Santa Barbara and Santa Maria this Friday.

The Foodbank of Santa Barbara County are projecting thousands of families in need to show up at this week's distribution.

Both sites will be serving families to make sure everyone has enough food to celebrate the holiday season.

Organizers say they are seeing a higher unemployment rate throughout the county.

They say this is leading to more families turning to the foodbank more than before the start of the pandemic.

"This is a community wide effort ... the foodbank is here to provide and distribute the food to those who are needing an extra bit of assistance this holiday season ... but we are needing the partnership of everybody in our community to make this happen," said grant and development coordinator Hannah Webster of the Foodbank of Santa Barbara County.

For information on the exact location and times for Friday's holiday food distribution log onto their website: https://foodbanksbc.org/