Community members on the East side of the county are stepping up to support their neighbors in need.
At Gila Mountain United Methodist Church, volunteers distributed free dinner plates and grocery bags Wednesday to help families struggling to make ends meet.
Tanya Grant, a mother with two kids in her car, smiled as she picked up her meal.
“We saw that they were giving away dinners and with this time period the way it is, low income everywhere, I am a nursing student. I figured I ‘d each go out and try and get four meals tonight,” Grant said.
Grant said she would be sharing the food with other family members that were also in need.
Melody Eltrich-Diaz, a church member, said it’s all about looking out for your neighbor.
She greeted drivers as they pulled into the parking lot and directed them toward the food line.“We were looking for ways to help our community and this was one of the things we came up with,” she said. “Because who doesn’t love to eat, and who can afford food right now?”
Pastor Edgar Vergara Millan said the church received donations from local grocery stores, church members, and residents. Volunteers handed out more than 100 plates and about 40 bags of groceries. Still, the demand exceeded supply.
“We had to turn at least 20 families away unfortunately,” Millan said. “My heart is breaking because we had three vehicles full of kids and even a dog that we couldn’t provide food for.”
Millan said Del Sol market and Sprouts had donated tortillas and rotisserie chickens.
“One of our church members is a chef. He was able to put the meals together with the donations received,” said Millan.
This was the church’s first food drive, but Millan said it won’t be the last. Plans are already underway to keep the food drive going.
“We have been planning for a couple months to start a community garden, a community food pantry and to use our wonderful kitchen for the community,” said Milan. We had to hurry that process up because of the need. We’re wanting to do one of these once a week through the month of November,” said Millan.
With the government shutdown now the longest in U.S. history, there’s no telling when SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, benefits will be fully funded.
Karen, a local resident, said she and her husband were thankful for the church’s help after their SNAP benefits didn’t arrive this month.
“It’s a nice boost that these folks are doing to help those of us who aren’t able to access SNAP benefits,” she said. “Our amount is minimal. It’s not a full benefit, but it’s greatly helpful.”
The church hopes to host another meal drive next Wednesday if enough donations come through.