A holiday meal isn’t always a guarantee for everyone in the community. The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama in Birmingham says there is such a need right now that workers and volunteers will be especially busy these next few weeks, making sure the holiday season isn’t as much of a struggle for others. In nearby Ensley, the need was evident as hundreds of cars lined up. Mercy Deliverance Ministries handed out 500 holiday meal boxes on Thursday afternoon. “Oh, it means a blessing that’s to us, our whole family, and to others because you invite people to your home, and you don’t want to be without or have little,” Birmingham resident Vickie Anthony said. The meal giveaway was set to start at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, but due to such high demand, it started 20 minutes early. Crews loaded up car after car. “And then you also want to be neighborly and help thy neighbor, so I brought all of our neighbors,” Anthony said. Meantime, volunteers at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama are putting together 25,000 holiday meal boxes between now and the new year. Each box is enough to feed a family of four for seven to ten days. “We work with over 230 agency partners to ensure all of our neighbors facing hunger throughout Central Alabama are taken care of, and the need is higher than ever,” Community Food Bank of Central Alabama director of development Ginger Pegues said. The food bank feeds over 250,000 individuals each month. It takes the help of the community to ensure that happens. “Sometimes it’s a very hopeful and joyful time of year, but when someone is struggling to pay rent or buy that medicine or fill up the tank with gas, food is often the thing that goes away first,” Pegues said. Those less fortunate say it has to be a team effort to help others through hard times. “That means America, we’ve got to get things a little better,” Anthony said. “People, even though we have jobs, we’re not taking care of our families enough. It’s got to be enough food.” The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama says everyone can help in some way. You can either buy extra cans of food at the grocery store to donate or volunteer your time at the food bank in Birmingham.
A holiday meal isn’t always a guarantee for everyone in the community.
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The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama in Birmingham says there is such a need right now that workers and volunteers will be especially busy these next few weeks, making sure the holiday season isn’t as much of a struggle for others.
In nearby Ensley, the need was evident as hundreds of cars lined up. Mercy Deliverance Ministries handed out 500 holiday meal boxes on Thursday afternoon.
“Oh, it means a blessing that’s to us, our whole family, and to others because you invite people to your home, and you don’t want to be without or have little,” Birmingham resident Vickie Anthony said.
The meal giveaway was set to start at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, but due to such high demand, it started 20 minutes early. Crews loaded up car after car.
“And then you also want to be neighborly and help thy neighbor, so I brought all of our neighbors,” Anthony said.
Meantime, volunteers at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama are putting together 25,000 holiday meal boxes between now and the new year. Each box is enough to feed a family of four for seven to ten days.
“We work with over 230 agency partners to ensure all of our neighbors facing hunger throughout Central Alabama are taken care of, and the need is higher than ever,” Community Food Bank of Central Alabama director of development Ginger Pegues said.
The food bank feeds over 250,000 individuals each month. It takes the help of the community to ensure that happens.
“Sometimes it’s a very hopeful and joyful time of year, but when someone is struggling to pay rent or buy that medicine or fill up the tank with gas, food is often the thing that goes away first,” Pegues said.
Those less fortunate say it has to be a team effort to help others through hard times.
“That means America, we’ve got to get things a little better,” Anthony said. “People, even though we have jobs, we’re not taking care of our families enough. It’s got to be enough food.”
The Community Food Bank of Central Alabama says everyone can help in some way. You can either buy extra cans of food at the grocery store to donate or volunteer your time at the food bank in Birmingham.