BRISTOL, Tenn. – A food distribution at Anderson Street United Methodist Church on a rainy Thursday morning drew 78 households representing 225 people, some lining up hours before the supplies were scheduled to be passed out.
The Bristol distribution was held by Second Harvest Food Bank’s Mobile Pantry and Walmart. A second distribution, also helping 78 households, took place Thursday at the South Central Community Ruritan Club in Washington County, Tenn., said Kathy Smith, the Food Bank’s community relations director.
“The need for food among area families has increased quite a bit,” Smith said. “Now we’re seeing a lot of people who are using food pantries for the first time.”
The Food Bank’s Mobile Pantry supplies food across Northeast Tennessee.
Walmart provided 12 pallets full of its Great-Value brand products for the event. The retailer also donated an $85,000 refrigerated truck.
The Rev. Barbara Clark, the church’s pastor, said she was touched by the stories she heard from people who arrived for the distribution.
Clark said one woman, widowed after her military husband was killed in Iraq, remarked how the donated food was badly needed to help feed her children. Others receiving the food, Clark said, were elderly residents on fixed incomes who must devote much of their money to buying medicine.
“I can tell you that everyone who was in that line was very grateful and very thankful,” Clark said. “We were very happy to be involved to help in some way.”
rbrown@bristolnews.com| (276) 645-2512
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