In the world’s richest country*

The cars line up at least 45 minutes before distribution begins. The early birds are lucky - only the first few hundred receive potatoes.

Several times our coordinator has to help move the rows and rows of cars because someone’s battery dies.

Five cars approach at a time, we’re stop number five. The car pulls up, we say hello to the driver, ask for the car to be put into park. Back seat or trunk? It doesn’t take long to load: one bag of potatoes (until we run out), one bag of apples, one bag of pears. One head of broccoli, a couple of cucumbers. Two frozen tubes of ground chicken. One pantry box.

During a break between cars, I open one of the pantry boxes - it isn’t much. One box of cereal, some canned goods, mac & cheese, some ramen.

Most people are friendly. I say hello to one mom with a baby and a preschooler in the car. “How long did you have to wait?” I ask her. “One hour.” I wish I had more to give her.

The next car: “How do you know how much to give each person?” the driver asks me, his voice full of stress. “We have a family of nine.” “I’m sorry,” I say. “We’re supposed to give the same to everyone.” That food will be all be gone tonight, I think.

An hour later, a rather expensive car stops at number five. The trunk pops open, we fill it. The driver rolls down the window. I see a couple who look to be in their 80’s, well-dressed. “Are there potatoes?” he asks. “I’m so sorry,” I say. “There was a mistake. Someone thought they were five pound bags, but they were ten pound bags. We ran out a while ago.” He glances at his wife who looks crestfallen. “We were really hoping for potatoes.”
 I wonder what their story is.

A few cars later, a very clean sedan approaches. The driver looks to be in his 40’s. He thanks us, multiple times, a desperate look on his face. I think he may be holding back tears. Is it his first time here? Is he a federal worker who’s missed several paychecks?

We serve 778 families.

The next day I have lunch with my brother, who works in homelessness prevention. I tell him about the food distribution. “The fastest growing segment of the population to experience homelessness is seniors,” he tells me. Many retired Californians have purchased RV’s or campers, the only home they can afford. But the RV parks are now restricting any vehicles older than ten years old…it’s called the ten-year rule. Why? According to cruiseamerica.com, “This helps to maintain a certain level of quality and appearance within the park.”

If you’re homeless in San Diego, you may find yourself living in your car. But don’t worry - the city operates safe parking lots where you can spend the night. There are even restrooms.

*According to Forbes, as of August 14, 2025, the total wealth in the United States is $163,117 billion.