Cars were already lining the streets around Weber Square by 9 a.m. Thursday, more than an hour before Bread of Life volunteers were scheduled to begin distributing boxes of frozen meat, produce and other groceries.
The turnout eventually spilled into surrounding streets, where volunteers directed drivers through the downtown Stockton square and residents from nearby apartment buildings walked home carrying bags of food.
The one-time giveaway was organized after Grocery Outlet donated roughly three semitruck loads of frozen meat — more than Bread of Life could store in its two existing freezers.
“We wanted to accept it because we know there’s need in Stockton, and we knew that if we accepted it, we could get it out,” said Gina Valadez-Bracamonte, president and founder of Bread of Life, a Stockton-based nonprofit that distributes free groceries throughout San Joaquin County.
At Weber Square, volunteers served residents through drive-thru and walk-up lines, placing boxes directly into vehicles and handing groceries to people who arrived on foot.
The groceries included frozen chicken, ground turkey, bacon, prepared food, bread and produce. Grocery Outlet’s donation included the meat that prompted the event, while Bread of Life contributed other food it already had in storage, Valadez-Bracamonte said.
Moving and storing the donation required help from several local partners. Silva Trucking and Delta Bluegrass Company provided refrigerated transportation from a cold-storage facility in Modesto. Food 4 Less and the Emergency Food Bank temporarily stored several pallets that Bread of Life could not accommodate.
“It takes a village,” Valadez-Bracamonte said.
Weber Square was selected in part because it is surrounded by apartments and accessible to residents without vehicles, Mayor Christina Fugazi said. She and Councilmember Michele Padilla Villapudua were among those helping distribute food.
Fugazi said she visited the location around 9 a.m. and found cars already waiting. The number of vehicles later created traffic problems, including some drivers traveling the wrong direction on a one-way street.
“I did not anticipate this many cars,” Fugazi said.
The mayor said families are contending with the combined costs of housing, gasoline, food and electricity, particularly during periods of triple-digit heat.
Census Bureau estimates show 15.5% of Stockton residents lived below the poverty line from 2020 to 2024, compared with 11.8% statewide. Stockton’s median household income was $79,907 during that period, compared with $99,122 across California.
“Even people with jobs, they’re struggling every month,” Fugazi said. “So this little bag of groceries could be the difference between eating or not eating.”
Community organizations are often better positioned than city government to deliver assistance directly within neighborhoods, she said.
“They are out there doing the work,” Fugazi said of Bread of Life. “They’re at the ground level. They are meeting people where they are.”
Joe Maes, who lives near Weber Square, said he discovered the event on Facebook that morning and decided to stop by.
He said he was surprised to see Fugazi helping hand out food and would welcome additional distributions in the neighborhood.
“It helps a lot of people,” Maes said.
Bread of Life did not immediately provide the total weight of the food distributed or an estimate of how many households were served.
The organization’s two freezers are currently full, and the donation underscored the need for additional cold-storage capacity, Valadez-Bracamonte said. Bread of Life has space in its warehouse for another freezer, but purchasing one would cost an estimated $38,000.
For Valadez-Bracamonte, the giveaway was also about ensuring that people seeking help were treated with dignity.
“There are elderly people. There are young people. There are people of all backgrounds that are here, and they all need the help,” she said. “If I have the ability to help someone, I will.”