People camp overnight for SJ food pantry

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- People in need are camping overnight at a San Jose food pantry. Sacred Heart Community Service is giving away thousands of food boxes for the holidays. At Sacred Heart the line continues to grow.

People are sleeping in the cold and some are even waiting in line with their small children. One couple we spoke to came prepared.

"We brought blankets, and food, snacks, and a tent. See what we do for our kids?" said one woman.

They're all waiting for a box of food for the holidays. Starting Friday morning, people in need will be able to reserve a box for Thanksgiving and another one for Christmas. Families will also be able to sign up for toys for the little ones. Sacred Heart anticipates giving away over 7,000 food boxes and over 16,000 toys.

"Some of them have part-time jobs where they used to have full-time jobs and they're really struggling right now, especially with so many years of the recession, they're assets are drying up very, very quickly," said Jay Pecot from Sacred Heart.

Julian Loredo is thankful he'll have food for the holidays. He says he's had a hard time making a go of things. His window washing service never got off the ground.

"Nobody wants to pay nothing. I mean, I even went down to as little as $10 to do a power wash on a mobile home and they didn't even want to pay $10," said Loredo.

Sacred Heart actually discourages people from waiting in line overnight. They say there will be enough boxes for everyone, but even with that guarantee, the line continues to grow.

"This is what they can control. In a life full of uncertainties, that's what they could do, so who am I to stand in the way of that?" said Pecot.

Sacred Heart plans to open their doors at 7:30 a.m. and will remain open until 6 p.m.

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san jose, thanksgiving, christmas, south bay news, lilian kim

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