Nearly 2,000 people show up for groceries at Downey food pantry

Photo via FoodHelp’s Facebook page.

DOWNEY — Nearly 2,000 people lined up Saturday morning to receive free groceries at FoodHelp, a food pantry at Downey First Christian Church.

The pantry reported serving 438 families, a new record.

Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases in Downey continued to climb, with Saturday’s total at 124, up from 118 on Friday.

The increase was part of 642 new Covid-19 cases and 81 new deaths, a record for L.A. County.

“Today marks a very sad milestone for our county; we are reporting the highest number of Covid-19 deaths for any one day since the beginning of the pandemic, and our deepest condolences go out to each and every person grieving the loss of their loved ones,” said Barbara Ferrer, Director of Public Health. “In this last week we have doubled the number of deaths that occurred among LA County residents.”

A drive-up Covid-19 testing center will open Monday at PIH Health Hospital in Whittier. Testing is open to anyone exhibiting virus symptoms, which include fever, cough and shortness of breath.