500 Bradenton families in need get a free holiday meal. ‘The people are so grateful.’
Families in need began lining up in their cars and trucks several hours before Meals on Wheels PLUS planned to start distributing food for a holiday meal Monday afternoon.
The line of cars and trucks filled the parking lot of Renaissance on 9th and backed up onto 9th Street West near LECOM Park, the spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.
To relieve the developing traffic jam, volunteers began loading vehicles earlier than the announced 4 p.m. distribution starting time.
“The people are so grateful,” Maribeth Phillips, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels PLUS of Manatee, said of the distribution of hams, canned vegetables and all the fixings that would allow 500 local families to prepare a traditional holiday meal at home.
The distribution through the Food4Families program is part of Meals on Wheels’ COVID-19 emergency relief efforts, which started in March of 2020.
“Our message this holiday season is simple: if you live in Manatee County and need food assistance, we are here to help make the holidays a little brighter,” Phillips said. “Our goal with this holiday food distribution is to bring joy, hope and critical nutrition to food-insecure families in Manatee County.”
For nearly two years, Meals on Wheels PLUS has been making distributions of bags of food to feed a family of five breakfast, lunch and dinner for two or more days a week. More than 1.3 million meals have been provided through the Food4Families program.
“So many times we hear from families who have never before had to go to a food distribution, as a result of COVID. The community has supported us and we have been able to get the food and get it to the people who need it,” Philips said.
Mark Goodson, board chairman for Meals on Wheels PLUS, said that the rising price of gas and food has put the squeeze on families, and that a good holiday meal doesn’t come cheap.
Even though the demand for its services has increased during the pandemic, Meals on Wheels has emerged stronger than before, Goodson said.
“We are so grateful to everyone who has been there for us in this difficult time,” Goodson said.
For more information or to make a donation online visit www.MealsOnWheelsPLUS.org/.
