BATON ROUGE – They may have had to wait in stand-still traffic, but thousands of seniors were given a free meal on Wednesday.

The East Baton Rouge Council on Aging held a drive-thru food pantry for those 60 years and older at the Antioch Senior Center. The highly sought-out event created a big traffic jam.

“We had to go and tell people don't turn around please, make sure you come,” said Judge Yvette Alexander, who volunteered at the food pantry.

So many people showed up to the event, which lasted until 2 p.m., that some were turned away at that time. For hours beforehand, there was heavy traffic on Tigerbend and Antioch Road.

“This shows the need. There’s a great need right now in our community with the pandemic going on. Many people are laid off of their jobs,” said Rep. C. Denis Marcelle, the vice chair on the Board of Council on Aging.

In total, 6,000 groceries and 2,000 hot meals were packed into seniors’ cars Wednesday.