When what was forecast as just a rainstorm turned into a snowstorm, Amanda Philips and her team found themselves stranded on Highway 6.

They were en route to deliver much-needed food and groceries to communities throughout Mono County when chain restrictions kept them from getting to their first stop in Benton.

“It was dumping,” said Philips, executive director of Community Service Solutions in Minden. “We were forced to spend the night on the side of the road with a bunch of tractor trailers that were also stranded.”

Working on a tight timeline of just a few days, the team of three didn’t let their sleepless night stop them from making their deliveries. By morning, the 4 inches of snow that fell were wet, which meant the chain restrictions had lifted, and they were able to get back on the road.

Despite never coordinating an emergency food distribution effort like this before, when Philips was asked to help with the growing need in her community, she agreed without hesitation.

“My organization usually operates more in the background, but the government shutdown and CalFresh pause has created an unprecedented need,” said Philips. “We’re seeing many people rely on food donations for the first time. We have a policy that, even if it’s not our program, we help.”

In just two weeks, Philips organized weekly Costco food deliveries from Reno, rented a large refrigeration truck shipped in from Nevada, packed it to the brim with fresh groceries and set out on her first delivery.

The team organized a plan to execute three separate food delivery trips — each time traveling to all major communities in the county: Mammoth Lakes, Benton, Chalfant, June Lake, Bridgeport, Walker and Lee Vining.

“At one of our deliveries in Mammoth, we were expecting 40-50 families to show up. That day, 113 were there,” Philips said. “We stayed an hour longer, so that we wouldn’t have to turn anyone away.”

Recognizing the widespread need across Southern California Edison’s service area, Edison International Foundation contributed $20,000 to Community Service Solutions and 11 other local organizations working to combat food insecurity.

“Recognizing the urgency of the situation, we felt compelled to take action,” said Liz Seelman, director of Corporate Relations and Philanthropy at Edison International. “Upon learning about the remarkable efforts led by Amanda and other organizations to support families in crisis, we knew we wanted to stand alongside them. We are deeply appreciative of the opportunity to contribute and help make a meaningful impact during such a critical time.”

Edison’s donation helped fund nearly the entire drop-off Philips’ team did in November. In just one week, they traveled more than 1,000 miles delivering food all over the Eastern Sierra. The third and final delivery of the year will be in mid-December.

“This work is so meaningful, and the people are so appreciative, it really fuels us to keep going,” Philips said. “We are really grateful for the opportunity to do this, and I am grateful for Edison’s faith in our ability to deliver meaningful services to people.”