Baldwin Park food distribution event draws long lines, some turned away after food runs out

BALDWIN PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- A drive-thru food distribution event drew lines of cars that wrapped around the block in Baldwin Park on Wednesday morning, but not everybody was able to get food because the demand was so high.

The event, hosted by Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, was supposed to run until noon, but food ran out about half an hour before that. Organizers had to turn away an unknown number of people after giving away food to some 2,000 families.

"With the inflation, cost of living, even the high cost of gas, there's so much relief on the faces of our neighbors here, and we're just very thankful to be able to support our neighbors," said Victoria Lasvath with the L.A. Regional Food Bank.

AIR7 was over the scene where countless cars lined up bumper-to-bumper to get boxes of protein, vegetables and also non-perishable food items. Some people said they waited at least an hour.

New inflation numbers show producer prices have jumped 6% over the past year. That number tracks how much it costs companies to operate, and that usually means consumers pay more in the form of inflated prices. Inflation has also hit its highest level in three years.

"It's really bad. That's why we're here. Prices are going sky-high. Everything's really pricey. Even the gas and everything, so it makes it a little bit hard," said Jose Torres from Baldwin Park.

"Everything's expensive. We need food, and gas is expensive. So that is why we're here," said Anne Delrosario from Alhambra.

"Inflation -- I have children at home, you know, everybody needs to eat, and I feel like everybody should come and take advantage of the opportunity... I think it's very important, especially in these times right now," said Brenda Salinas from Baldwin Park.

Solis said with food prices rising and federal support shifting, events like this are essential for those who are food insecure or struggling with employment.

"Some of the stories, as I'm talking to people, they're telling me that they are food insecure, or they don't have jobs, or they're working three or four jobs, or one lady told me that her husband was detained by ICE, and there is no sole source provider, so she's happy to come to these events here," Solis said.

Solis says this is the second big distribution event they've hosted, and they plan on having two more -- one in South El Monte and one in Montebello.

U.S. wholesale inflation rises

Producer prices rose 6% from a year earlier, the highest point in more than three years, as the Iran war pushes up energy prices and intensifies pressure on companies to pass along their rising costs to consumers.

The Labor Department reported Wednesday that its producer price index - which tracks inflation before it hits consumers - shot up 1.4% in April, the biggest monthly gain in more than four years.

Energy prices climbed 7.8% from March to April and 22.7% from a year earlier. Gasoline soared 15.6% from March and diesel, the dominant fuel used in shipping, jumped 12.6%.

Gasoline prices, which have already become painful for many Americans, rose again overnight to a national average of $4.51 per gallon, according to motor club AAA.

Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called core producer prices rose 1% from March and 5.2% from April 2025.

All of the numbers released Wednesday caught economists off guard and altered the dynamic at the U.S. Federal Reserve and its fight against inflation.

Prices are rising at a time when Americans are already frustrated by the high cost of living. Affordability is likely to be a key issue when voters go to the polls on Nov. 3 to determine whether President Donald Trump's Republican Party maintains control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.