More than 500 cars were expected to pass through a "mega mobile pantry" Friday outside Herman Clark Stadium in South Fort Worth. The event was the first since President Joe Biden was inaugurated.
The president has signed several executive orders, writing one in seven American households is facing "food insecurity."
A statement from the White House says:
"That all-of-government effort will:
Address the growing hunger crisis facing 29 million Americans -- and as many as 12 million children – by asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to consider expanding and extending federal nutrition assistance programs."Some in line say they had lost their job in the past year, and they wonder how the president's plan to address climate change could affect the Texas economy. Some in line said they had been laid off from jobs in the energy sector when oil prices dropped last year.
"We were forced to retire. We didn't want to, but we were forced to. We want to go back to work, but we can't," one man said.
Some people started pulling in at 4 a.m. A woman near the front of the line says she was caring for her grandchildren because her son had contracted COVID-19.
"It's a blessed feeling that I'm here today because I have five grandkids," she says. "We rely on each other every day."
She says her son is recovering, but he has not returned to work.
The "mega pantries" at Herman Clark Stadium draw the largest crowds, but the Tarrant Area Food Bank holds several mobile pantries each week. A schedule can be found HERE.
The Texas National Guard is still working with food banks on distribution and its activation is renewed a month at a time. Information on how to volunteer with the Tarrant Area Food Bank is available here. Donations can be made here.
