The need for food continues across North Texas.
On Friday morning, the Tarrant Area Food Bank hosted its Mega Mobile Market, distributing food to families in need.
For months, staff and volunteers had the help of the Air National Guard by creating a drive-through system for food pick-up. After getting some pointers, volunteers have kept the mission rolling on their own like a well-oiled machine for the past three weeks.
Now, the plan is to distribute food to families every single week for the next three months.
Tarrant Area Food Bank was able to secure an agreement with Fort Worth ISD to use Herman Clark Stadium as their distribution site. Volunteers and staff will be at the site every single Friday morning from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. until Nov. 20.
Families are directed into an entrance point and will wait in line until they come to the pick-up area. Volunteers then load the food boxes into the trunk or backseat.
"Fort Worth ISD has come together, Catholic Charities, United Way. We have 330 pantry partners that supply food to the public when we're in crisis. And this is a crisis. We are here to help people shore up the gap they might have in their finances by providing food to them and we hope they know we're here," said Julie Butner, CEO of Tarrant Area Food Bank.
Food bank leaders said they've known for months that the economic fallout from the pandemic is no quick fix. That's why their team and volunteers are in this for the long haul.
"The virus, when it started, nobody knew how long this is going to last. Feeding America - our network of food banks across the country - predicted 18 months. And now we're talking about 24 months or even longer, depending on when the economy comes back. When the economy comes back and jobs come back and people don't need the safety gap or safety net that the Tarrant Area Food Bank fills,” said Butner.
On Friday morning, hundreds of families pulled through the stadium lot to receive the food.
Each car receives a 100 pound box of food, filled with fresh veggies, fruits, milk and even chicken.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
You don't need a reservation. Just show up and give some basic information like your zip code, phone number and how many people you have in your family.
The food bank served nearly 1,100 families on Friday, a small jump from more than 900 hundred that were served the previous week. They expect those numbers to increase.
"Being consistent with having it every Friday, I think that will help us get the word out to the public and those neighbors that are in need," said Butner.
The Tarrant Area Food Bank is also in need of volunteers right now. If you are able to help, visit www.tafb.org and click on the volunteer tab.
