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 efects 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 frst-come, frst-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 nonproft charities straight to families. Engage Arlington ofcials 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.

St. Philip the Apostle Anglican Church

4990 New York Ave. 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays

DISTRIBUTION CENTERS

Lake Church

2912 Little Road 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursdays

Life Community Church

2135 Southeast Pkwy. 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays

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

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 Avenue 11 a.m. to 1 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