The Tarrant Area Food Bank is holding its last "mega mobile market" of 2020 Friday outside Herman Clark Stadium in South Fort Worth. The first car pulled into line at 4 a.m. Friday.
"It's really hard out there right now," that man said, saying he had been using mobile pantries since the summer but had never needed them before. "This virus is going around, and everybody's losing their jobs."
The mobile pantry is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Some in line say they were glad to receive food to serve their families over Christmas.
"It helps us a lot. It's something we can get for Christmas," the first man in line said.
"It's tight. It's one of those things. You've just got to pray and just hope you can get the help," the man in line behind him said while waiting in his car with his wife.
Friday, the Tarrant Area Food Bank was planning six smaller mobile pantries:
Como Community Center at 9 a.m
.4660 Horne St.
Fort Worth, TX 76107
Household of Faith at 9 a.m.
5001 New York Ave.
Arlington, TX 76108
Samuel Baptist Church at 10 a.m
.1508 Talton Ave.
Fort Worth, TX 76104
Berea Baptist Church at 12 p.m
.6901 Forest Hill Dr.
Forest Hill, TX 76140
Boys and Girls Club Panther Branch at 4 p.m
.1500 Hemphill St.
Fort Worth, TX 76104
The Chosen Vessel at 4 p.m
.4650 Campus Dr.
Fort Worth, TX 76119
Tarrant Area Food Bank plans to resume mega mobile markets at Herman Clark Stadium January 8, 2021.
"We are very worried about January with lots of federal benefit programs winding down, especially unemployment," says Executive Vice President Stephen Raeside.
Friday, each car also received a turkey and stuffing for Christmas.
"We try our best to make sure every family has a great holiday meal. We think they all deserve one," Raeside says.
Raeside says the food bank will need additional volunteers. He says increased demand could last more than a year.
"The Fort Worth community has been great to us so far," he says. "I'm pretty sure they're going to be there for us next year.
Information about how to volunteer is available here.