HOUSTON, Texas — Thousands of people lined up for hours to receive donated food collected by the Houston Independent School District and the Houston Food Bank. Lines grew so far in advance that organizers opened the event three hours early.
Houston ISD and the Houston Food Bank teamed up to provide enough food to last a family for two weeks and organized the delivery of the food at Harris County’s NRG Stadium complex, KTRK ABC 13 reported. More than 4,000 cars lined up in a mile-long caravan to receive the gifts that are meant to curb “food insecurity.”
Drivers lined up for hours in advance and the vehicles stretched along the roadway for more than a mile. Officials decided to open the even three hours earlier to relieve traffic and help volunteers avoid approaching thunderstorms.
One recipient of the food donations said the event was extremely well organized.
Workers distributed more than 90,000 pounds of food in what organizers called the first “mass food distribution site” in the city’s history, the Houston Chronicle reported. As each car approached in the multiple lanes of distribution, volunteers put bags of potatoes, meat, and milk in each vehicle.
“The goal is to accommodate working families who are unable to visit HISD-sponsored distribution sites during the weekday,” Houston ISD officials said in a written statement. “The site is expected to distribute 3,000 food bags — or 90,000 pounds of food — in three hours.” The organization exceeded that goal by a great margin.
The school district said that 120 workers gathered to organize the lines and place the tons of collected food bags into the waiting cars. The Houston Texans NFL franchise not only donated the space for the event, but provided a catered lunch for the volunteers. Exxon also donated $50 gift cards to the volunteers.
“Schools are more than just centers for education, they are the heart of every community, with strong connections and relationships with students and families,” said Brian Greene, president and chief executive officer of the Houston Food Bank in the joint statement with HISD. “Houston Food Bank is working with HISD to supplement their efforts to ensure children who rely on school meals are still receiving access to nutritious food during this unprecedented time.”
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.