PLANO, Texas — A truck took out three utility poles in the alley behind Minnie’s Food Pantry, knocking out power for several hours Tuesday.
No power means no refrigeration.
No refrigeration means most of the food must be thrown away.
Holidays are always a busy time, and the Fourth of July is no different for this pantry.
“We had great plans to give our families everything that we had in our freezers and coolers,” said Erica Simon, who’s been working with Minnie’s Food Pantry for 11 years.
“This is one of the most important serving times at Minnie’s Pantry,” said Cheryl Jackson, founder of Minnie’s Food Pantry. “So we are going to have to get this replenished."
“We’re throwing away food when we know there are thousands of people in our community that depend on us for this food,” Jackson said.
The pantry had no choice but throw the food away. A health inspector with the City of Plano arrived after power outage and began measuring the temperature of the milk and eggs.
The dairy products quickly reached a warm temperature, making it unsafe to eat.
“Just the mentality that these are gallons of milk that’s not even open, that no one has a chance to use. It’s very heartbreaking. It saddens all of us to do this,” said Simon.
Simon said they threw away at least 288 gallons of milk, as well as eggs, cheese, salads and fresh fruit.
“Milk is something we barely get. So whenever we do receive it, it’s like a luxury because that’s not something you get all the time. Especially (in the) summertime, what kid doesn’t want cereal with milk? That’s the easiest for them to eat while their parents are at work. Milk is hard to get,” said Simon.
Despite having to throw away food, Jackson saw the silver lining.
"I’ve never been so happy to be closed on a Tuesday,” Jackson said. “If we had been open today, where that pole fell, generally 20 to 30 volunteers are standing there.”
This is not the first time Minnie’s Food Pantry has found itself in this position. A freezer malfunction in 2016 forced them to throw away thousands of dollars of food.
On Tuesday, the power came back on just before 1 p.m.
Now, Minnie’s Food Pantry is relying on the community to donate food quickly, so they can serve senior citizens and veterans this Fourth of July holiday.
“I know our community is going to come through. This is a call to action,” said Simon.
The Plano food pantry is in need of milk, eggs, cheese, salad and fresh fruit.
You can drop off these items at Minnie’s Food Pantry. Their address is: 3033 W Parker Road, #116, Plano, TX 75023.
Click here to make a financial donation.