Help is at hand: Local churches, volunteers rally to provide food to area people in need

Thanks to the kindness of Arlington church volunteers and the USDA Farmers to Families Box Program, approximately 10,000 boxes of fresh produce are being distributed weekly to local families in need. This need has grown over the past few months as the coronavirus pandemic has left area residents jobless or working curtailed hours as their businesses try to rebound from the effects of COVID-19.

Engage Arlington, a consortium of Arlington churches, has teamed up with DiMare Fresh, a produce distributor, to implement the federally sponsored program in the Arlington community. The boxes of fresh produce are given out on a first-come, first-serve basis at eight church locations.

Organizers say COVID-19 has been a major disruptor of the country’s food chain. The USDA Farmers to Families Box Program seeks to mend the nation’s – and the region’s – food chain by purchasing fresh produce from farmers, shipping it through food distributors, and distributing the fruits and vegetables through nonprofit charities straight to families.

Engage Arlington officials say the volunteers will continue organizing weekly produce distributions as long as funding is available.

Residents are encouraged to arrive early at the distribution sites as the produce boxes are limited. Volunteers load residents’ vehicles while practicing safe social distancing.

For more: EngageArlingtonTX.org.

Distribution Centers

St. Philip the Apostle Anglican Church (4990 New York Ave.) – 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays

Grace Community Church (801 W. Bardin Road) – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays

Central Bible Church (8001 Anderson Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 76120) – Noon to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays

Lake Church (2912 Little Road) – 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursdays

Koinonia Christian Church (2455 S.E. Green Oaks Blvd.) – 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursdays

Household of Faith Charities (5001 New York Ave.) – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays

Life Community Church (2135 Southeast Pkwy.) – 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays

First Christian Church (910 S. Collins St.) – 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays

Cornerstone Church (5415 Matlock Road) – 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturdays