About 500 needy San Diego families will receive holiday food and toys today from the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council and the United Way of San Diego.
Turkeys, food bags, toys and bikes -- donated by workers and their unions -- will go to families in which parents have lost jobs or are underemployed. The distribution begins at 8 a.m. in the parking lot of Qualcomm Stadium.
The unemployment rate in San Diego County was 9.2 percent in November, meaning 145,500 people out of a workforce of around 1.6 million, according to the state Economic Development Department.
Additionally, many economists believe the true number of unemployed people is higher since people who have given up looking for jobs are not counted in the official statistics.