Free meals for fathers at Fort Worth food bank today. Find out where
With costs for food, gas and just about everything else continuing to go through the roof, the Tarrant Area Food Bank has found a way to help out. The food bank is handing out 1,200 meals Thursday (June 16) ahead of Father’s Day.
Dinner for Dads is a drive-thru event from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Yellow Lot of Dickies Arena, located at 1911 Montgomery St.
“We’ll load up their car with enough food to carry the family through Father’s Day and some additional meals to get them through three or four days,” food bank president and CEO Julie Butner said.
According to Butner her group handed out close to 1,100 Meals for mothers at the beginning of May. The father’s version is a new program.
“We’ve seen a lot of dads in our lines too,” Butner said. “And a lot of them with kids and the spouse isn’t there or they’re there by themselves. And so the idea came to us this year that if we’re doing something for moms, we should do something for dads too.”
Butner said most of the people they see are employed, but the rising cost of food and gas is taking a toll on on their wallets.
Michael Polydoroff, manager of marketing and communications at the food bank, said the boxes come with enough food for an entire family and include grill-friendly foods like kielbasa, hot dogs and HelloFresh kits with chicken and vegetarian options.
“Everything is with an eye toward nutritious food for the family,” Polydoroff said.
In the food-packing area of the TAFB, volunteers filled HelloFresh meal kits with rice and vegetables — with some of the kits designated for the Dinner for Dads program.
Joe Arispe, a father of two and grandfather of seven, said this is his first time to help out at the food bank.
“I want to be able to give to the community and set the example for my kids and my grandkids ..., Arispe said. “It’s just a good feeling. You want to be able to always give back to the community and help as much as you can and spread that and hopefully others do the same.”
This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 4:52 PM.
