DALLAS — There was a steady stream of vehicles flowing into the parking lot of The Village United Methodist Church on Thursday as volunteers directed cars to different stations for a drive-thru food bank.
”They’re coming from all over the place,” said volunteer Chris Redmon.
Many families across North Texas have been stressing for more than two months. Families are coping, as best they can, over the impact of COVID-19 and the restrictions being placed on their lives.
”We couldn’t ignore it,” Redmon said. “We had to do something.”
The volunteers at The Village UMC decided to organize and take action by feeding a local need that remains weeks into the pandemic.
“This pandemic, if we’re honest, has really just caught us all off guard. It’s got families who are left in great need. Unemployment is on the rise. We know that families are trying to figure out how to make ends meet, put food on the table," Pastor Derek Jacobs said.
The church partnered with Dallas County Health and Human Services and Catholic Charities for the drive-thru food bank. Residents came from across the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. About 250 bags of groceries were prepared for distribution at this event.
The DeSoto area ZIP code of 75115 saw some of the highest COVID-19 positive cases as Dallas County began releasing testing data by ZIP code. The reported positive cases across the southern Dallas suburb have since been declining week to week.
"ZIP codes and statistics might show a lot of things, but it’s not until you get on the ground and you really get to meet the people that are in that ZIP code, that you really understand that it’s not all about just the folks who are not doing well," Redmon said. "There are plenty of people in DeSoto who are doing well and who are really willing to get out there and help out."
The volunteers said they are helping neighbors from all walks of life, and they are doing with compassion during this crisis.
