Catholic Charities Hosts Mega Food Drop Serving 1,000 Dallas-Area Families

Catholic Charities of Dallas provided more than 50,000 meals and diapers to needy families in Dallas on Friday.

The food drive was a collaborative initiative between Dallas Love Field, the North Texas Food Bank and Hope Supply Company.

The event served more than 1,000 families in the Dallas area, Catholic Charities of Dallas said.

One of the people who was helped was Laree Bryant.

Laree Bryant, one of the recipients Friday, said her daughter lost her job because of COVID-19. Bryant said she is on Social Security and a small pension and is helping her daughter pay rent and utilities.

Food and clean water have been hard to come by for many people, especially after the winter storm in February.

"My pipes broke, so I had to fix that. We need money for basic things," said Adriana Leal, who got help at the Mega Food Drop

Catholic Charities of Dallas distributed more than 6 million meals last year, and the organization said it planned to exceed that number in 2021.

The organization has added two additional trucks to its fleet, doubling its capacity to deliver food to the communities in need.

“Our goal is to augment our daily efforts with large-scale food distribution events that create a meaningful impact in the shortest amount of time,” said Dave Woodyard, president and CEO of Catholic Charities. “On top of the already challenging pandemic, the winter storm in February created long-lasting hardships for millions of families. Catholic Charities and its incredibly supportive partners are responding to provide relief and support to those struggling the most.”

Woodyard said they opened the event a little earlier than the 11 a.m. start time Friday.

"People started showing up a little after 8 a.m. and once we were set up, it's like, there's no reason to wait. So we went ahead," he said.

To volunteer at food distribution events, click here.

Those who need assistance can pre-register with Catholic Charities of Dallas here.