Turkey and stuffing are staples of many Thanksgiving meals and although it is unlikely the first Thanksgiving featured such items, stuffing is generally considered a traditional holiday food. Most of us have become accustomed to having this food every year, so much so that we have probably taken it for granted.
Some families in Lamar County can’t afford to buy the foods for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The Downtown Food Pantry is making efforts to help with this issue. The food pantry has sought to provide families with meals to put on their dinner tables for nearly a decade, but was never been able to provide Thanksgiving stuffing. This changed three years ago when director of operations
Chuck Burton requested the public’s help. The results each year since have been substantial, with last year’s donations totaling 3,028 boxes, said pantry executive director Alicia Jallah.
Jallah said the need for boxed stuffing is due to a lack of availability from the North Texas Food Bank.
“Stuffing is something that we normally aren’t able to order from the North Texas Food Bank,” she said. “We want our food-insecure households to be able to celebrate the holidays with full plates just like everyone else.”
Jallah estimated the pantry serves 2,000 households a month, which averages to about 5-6,000 people. Jallah added that Lamar County has one of the highest food insecurity rates in the state, settling in around 22.1 percent or about 11,000 people.
“[They] either don’t know where their next meal will come from or won’t eat adequately to live a healthy lifestyle,” Jallah said.
The goal this year is to collect 5,000 boxes, double the goal of 2016. With the public’s help, the pantry hopes to provide for as many Lamar County families as possible.
“We believe no one should go hungry,” Jallah said.
Donations can be made through the holiday season and can be brought to the pantry Monday-Friday. Those who prefer to make monetary donations can send them to 124 W. Cherry St. or online through downtownfoodpantry.org.
For more information, email Jallah at alicia@downtownfoodpantry.org or Burton at chuck@downtownfoodpantry.org or call 903-737-8870.
