Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB) hosted its first mega mobile distribution in Denton County on Tuesday morning.
Hundreds of families came and took advantage of the charitable distribution.
“I don’t think I’ve ever recalled a time that it’s been so hard,” grandmother Elizabeth Woods told WFAA. “I only receive social security, and so, with the rent, and the utilities, and the car payment … it gets kind of difficult to get stuff done.”
Dora Hernandez, another grandmother present at the distribution, echoed Woods’ sentiments.
“We’re short because of inflation,” said Hernandez. “The meat, especially the meat and vegetables, went up a lot. Once in a while, you find something on special, but I just get what I need. Nothing extra, cookies or things like that, just what I need.”
Julie Butner, president and CEO of TAFB, told WFAA that the current economic situation has made tough situations worse for many families.
“Right now, the need is higher than it was at the highest point of the pandemic,” said Butner. “Food inflation is now close to 14%, in some places as much as 17%,” she said.
Butner joined the Tarrant Area Food Bank in January 2020. She graduated from Texas Christian University and is a registered, licensed dietitian. She also served as a captain in the United States Army during Operation Desert Storm.
TAFB serves 13 North Texas counties. Last year, it provided 60 million nutritious meals and an average of 1,000,000 meals per week. While 44% of the food banks’ supply comes from government hunger relief programs, 55% of the food distributed by TABF is donated.
This week’s distribution offered food items intentionally selected to make the holidays easier for families in need.
“My grandkids want tamales [for Christmas],” Hernandez said. “I’m going to see what I can scrape up for tamales.”
Other gift items were donated and offered at the distribution, as well, such as beauty products, children’s toys, and kitchen items.
In the new year, TAFB will continue to offer its services in Denton County, which is experiencing tremendous growth.
A list of the food bank’s mega-distribution events can be found here.
