As many as 3,500 families received food Wednesday morning at Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg as part of the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley’s Mass Drive-Thru Emergency Pantry.
Wednesday’s food distribution was different from the food bank’s weekly on-site emergency pantry, or DTEP, which typically occurs the same day each week and has capacity for 700 families. However, the mass DTEP on Wednesday provided five times more capacity for distribution.
“It was hugely successful,” Stuart Haniff, chief executive officer of the food bank, said Wednesday. “We provided food for the 3,500, which is almost 25,000 individuals, which was fantastic.”
To further put the number of people in attendance in perspective, a maximum of two people were allowed per car, according to a release from Food Bank RGV, making that nearly 12,000 vehicles that drove through Bert Ogden Arena on Wednesday morning.
Presented by NRG company Reliant, Haniff said the event was a collaboration with the Texas Army National Guard, the city of Edinburg, Bert Ogden Arena, food bank staff and 90 volunteers.
Each car that attended the distribution received more than 60 pounds of food, which included fresh produce, shelf stable food, and proteins such as taco meat and fajitas.
“It was really well attended; great reception; wonderful weather,” Haniff said.
Wednesday’s event marked the fourth time the food bank organized a massive food distribution, with Haniff noting he feels they get slightly better each time they hold these types of distributions.
“We see now that the demand and the need for emergency food assistance has risen sevenfold year over year,” Haniff said. “As a result, we need to continue to be innovative and aggressive and come up with solutions that are out of the box, because this is truly a time like we’ve never seen before.”
The Food Bank RGV held its first Mass DTEP at Bert Ogden Arena on May 12, 2020, when 1,625 families were fed.
Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the region in addition to other notable events such as the winter storm and blackouts in February that left thousands of Valley residents in freezing temperatures without electricity for days.
The aftermath of the arctic outbreak continues to unfold as recently as last Thursday as Texas officials raised the death toll of the winter storm to at least 111 people, while the economic and crop production loss in the Valley alone could surpass the early estimation of $2 billion, according to a summary report provided by the National Weather Service in Brownsville.
Prior to Wednesday, the last DTEP the food bank held was in February, where they served 111,000 families, according to Haniff, due to how many individuals were impacted by the storm.
But the demand continues.
Haniff said people lined up for several hours for Wednesday’s DTEP, which began at 7 a.m. and met its capacity of 3,500 families before 11 a.m.
“We like to do these when we can; when we have the capacity,” Haniff said. “These are a vast undertaking in terms of manpower, in terms of infrastructure and in terms of cost.”
According to Haniff, it costs a little over $390,000 to organize a mass DTEP.
“We certainly want to continue to manage our capacity, clear lines and do everything we can, because we know more people than ever are now struggling with food and security as a result of the ongoing pandemic as well as the storm as well as going back to the hurricane,” Haniff explained.
If individuals couldn’t attend Wednesday’s distribution, Haniff said due to the food bank’s network of 275 partners and work between three counties, then those seeking a pantry, soup kitchen, shelter or distribution near their area can call (956) 682-8101 and select option 2 for agency relations.
Next week, Food Bank RGV’s regular on-site distributions will resume as they will be serving seniors 60 and older.
To help support the Food Bank RGV, monetary donations can be made by visiting its website at www.foodbankrgv.com.
“We’ve been hit by several crises and disasters one after the other but generosity and the collaboration of the heart of the Rio Grande Valley is always bigger than any disaster, any crises,” Haniff said.
