Hundreds of Stanislaus County residents who rely on the United Samaritan Foundation’s Daily Bread lunch truck program will need to find meals elsewhere for the week, as the Turlock-based nonprofit organization temporarily shut down operations after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19.

USF announced Dec. 21 on its Facebook page that “out of an abundance of precaution,” the facility was closing until Jan. 4 following an employee testing positive for coronavirus.

USF is the county’s largest non-profit direct food distributor to the hungry, serving 35,000 meals a month. To accomplish this feat, USF makes 50 stops throughout 11 different communities — including Stanislaus State and Modesto Junior College — with four mobile lunch trucks, serving between 1,500 and 1,800 lunches Monday through Friday.

The closure of the Turlock facility halted lunch deliveries to Ceres, Keyes, Turlock and west Stanislaus County stops.

To help bridge the meal program gap, the Turlock Gospel Mission will be offering a hot lunch to anyone in need at their S. Broadway facility while USF is closed. 

TGM has an industrial kitchen at its new facility and already feeds individuals and families who participate in their daily programs. While the USF lunch trucks are down, TGM will expand its lunch offerings to anyone in the public who is hungry, said kitchen manager Jeanna Serrano. 

Serrano said those wanting a hot lunch can line up at the gospel mission gates between noon and 12:30 p.m. daily. Each meal will be prepared fresh and delivered in to-go containers due to COVID-19 concerns.

Lunches range from spaghetti and meatballs with salad and rolls to soup and sandwiches served with fresh pastries.

“Come and get a warm meal; it’s here,” said Serrano.

For more information about TGM meal program, call 656-1033.