National Guard helping North Texas Food Bank go mobile to meet high demand

PLANO, Texas - Demand for meals is at an all-time high for the North Texas Food Bank as people deal with layoffs, furloughs and children at home. The National Guard is stepping in to help.

The NTFB serves 13 local counties, working closely with many partner agencies to make sure food reaches the families who need it most.

The past several weeks have created unprecedented demand. At a mobile pantry event this past week, more than 6,300 boxes of food were passed out in less than two hours.

Families that normally do not have to worry about an adequate supply of food are now requesting help, the organization said.

“We’ve seen a lot of our mobile distribution just skyrocket like four and five times what we would normally see,” said Trisha Cunningham, the NTFB president and CEO.

Cunningham said one significant source of help has been the National Guard. They’ve taken over warehouse operations and the mobile pantry program.

Guard troops have created thousands of family meal boxes that can be distributed with social distancing in mid via a drive-thru model.

The mobile pantry has stops planned every day this week into Saturday. On Monday, it will be distributing food at Bowman Middle School in Plano.

For more information about meals or to make a donation, visit ntfb.org/mobile-pantry.

The NTFB said cash donations are always welcome because it can make every dollar go a long way.