A food distribution Saturday served more than 2,000 families in North Texas, organizers said.
Partnering with One Community Church, the distribution hosted by Minnie’s Food Pantry was held at the church’s Plano location.
Matt Anderson is a pastor at the church.
“At a time like this when everyone’s trying to get enough to survive,” Pastor Anderson said. “As we’ve been blessed, we want to bless back. So we want to give, give, give as much as we have nothing left to give back.”
Minnie’s Food Pantry, based out of Plano, has been operating for 12 years. Founder Cheryl Jackson said since the pandemic hit, they have served more than three million meals.
“Today is about an opportunity for a charity and a church to come together, which is something we should be doing to feed the hungry. That’s what the bible says. ‘When I was hungry, you fed me’,” Jackson said. “We wanted to do something really big, because we know that school is starting back yet. Some parents are going to work and they are really just trying to make ends meet and the little drops here and there, we realized simply wasn’t enough.”
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Each family received a 60-pound Minnie’s food box along with fresh produce, meat, and milk. This about totaled 100 pounds per family, according to organizers with Minnie’s Food Pantry.
“I’ve been doing this for 12 years and when I see the cars, it makes me feels good because I used to be a person in the car that needed a meal for my own two kids when they were younger. I do in honor of my mother who’s no longer here but it makes me feel like she’s shining down from heaven,” Jackson told NBC 5 on Saturday.
Jacquelin Harrell of Dallas works for Plano ISD. A cafeteria kitchen staffer, Harrell said she was used to serving students. However, in times of uncertainty, she said distributions like this help take off some financial worries.
“I can get my medicine instead of spending the money on the food right now. We’re praying that in two weeks that our campus opens back up because right now, we live day by day,” Harrell said.
It was not just food being served Saturday. When families pulled into the lot ready for their cars to be filled, they were greeted by cheers and signs of encouragement from about 300 volunteers from the non-profit and church.
“People need just hope right now. People need to know that people still care. They can’t hug anymore. They can’t see our smiles. Through service we hope they understand that we’re still here for them,” Jackson said.
In 2019, Minnie’s Food Pantry officials say they distributed 1.4 million meals to 62,903 individuals in North Texas. So far this year, they have provided more than three million to over 60,496 people impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
*Map locations are approximate, central locations for the city and are not meant to indicate where actual infected people live.
