40,000 pounds of Tyson-brand chicken delivered to Fresno Community Food Bank

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- 40,000 pounds of fresh chicken arrived in Fresno from Kentucky Tuesday morning.

Tyson donated the chicken to Community Food Bank to feed valley families as the devastating drought persists.

"These 40,000 pounds of poultry will provide a great compliment to the produce that we see here," said U.S. Representative Jim Costa.

"It'll make a significant difference especially for those children," said Community Food Bank CEO Andy Souza. "We know the importance of fresh protein in young children in the developmental stage and this will just help go a long way."

Souza says the chicken will begin to be distributed in the next couple of days, and will feed 10,000 to 20,000 Valley families.

Behind the scenes at Community Food Bank, Sergio Perez handles the organization's drought food distributions in rural Fresno County, under the new title of drought relief coordinator.

Just one month into his new role, Perez says he's seen similar struggles, from Mendota to Orange Cove.

"This drought is affecting a lot of people, a lot of farmworkers don't have jobs, a lot of them are unemployed," Perez said.

Looking ahead, Perez and his volunteers plan to add another distribution location. And this fall, they hope to get a better handle on the needs of the valley families they serve.

"What else do they need? Do they need shelter, do they need more employment opportunities, other services, other programs that they don't even know about," Perez said.

About a month ago it was announced that $18 million in federal funding would go towards getting people back to work in the drought.

The Community Food Bank will be using some of that money to bring on a handful of temporary workers in the months to come.