‘It’s a cry for help.’ Food bank sees sharp increase in demand amid coronavirus crisis
Dianna Campos, who comes to the mobile food pantry in the parking lot of the Tarrant County College Northwest campus, said she was shocked by the lines of cars where people waited to pick up emergency food boxes.
Campos, who is 60, said she’s never seen such a line of cars.
“I think it’s going to get worse before it gets better,” she said.
Campos said she is grateful to receive the boxes of produce and nonperishable foods, such as cereal and peanut butter, as she and her husband are not working because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Julie Butner, president and CEO of the Tarrant Area Food Bank, said the nonprofit is seeing a 60 percent increase in food distribution since the pandemic hit full force this month.
“This is because of our newly laid off and furloughed workers,” she said. The food bank serves 13 North Texas counties
“This is what we refer to as our first-time hungry. They’ve never gotten assistance before,” she said.
The Tarrant Area Food Bank is a distribution center, and Butner said people are coming to the door wondering where to turn.
“It’s a cry for help,” Butner said.
Typically, the mobile food pantry serves 300 families, but that number has more than doubled to 600-700 families, she said.
In fact, Butner said she asked the operations officer for the food bank to bring more supplies because of the long lines.
A humane approach
Butner said she saw what happened in other cities throughout the country such as the event in San Antonio where 10,000 cars waited for food.
“We were really alarmed; we didn’t want that happening here,” she said.
The food bank has 31 distribution sites so that there are not as many people in one location.
The food bank receives commodities from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Texas Department of Agriculture, and the governmental agencies are cutting down on the number of questions that people are asked in order to get assistance, Butner said.
While the organization has plenty of food, Butner said she is worried about how the food bank will keep up if the people needing help continues.
The food bank’s warehouse holds 50 million pounds of food, but it is currently crammed with 65 million pounds. The food bank is looking for a warehouse in Parker County, she said.
The Cowtown Marathon is also stepping up to help, allowing the temporary use of its headquarters to give the Tarrant Area Food Bank more space to pack produce and emergency food boxes. The Texas Air National Guard is also helping pack the boxes, Butner said.
JoAnn Mesre, who waited to receive her boxes of food, said she is also grateful for the assistance.
Mesre said she does not work, and her husband was working two jobs, but was laid off from one of them because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It takes a huge stress off of our shoulders,” she said.
Giving day
The Communities Foundation of Texas, the Dallas Cowboys and United Way of Metropolitan Dallas are launching an emergency giving campaign to help nonprofits that are impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The campaign, North Texas Giving Tuesday Now, began on April 14 and continues through May 5.
Nonprofits are helping more because of job loss, the cancellation of major fundraising events and other circumstances due to the pandemic.
For more information on how to donate, visit the North Texas Giving Tuesday Now website.
This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 5:10 PM.