By Taylor Boyd
The Disaster Relief Food Ministry recently partnered with Feeding America Southwest Virginia to distribute food boxes at Rotary Field.
Founder Jimmy Willard, whose organization will celebrate 10 years of service this year, said this is the first time the ministry held a similar event. He hopes to hold more of them in Patrick County in the future.
“Lowes Foods also donated dog food for PAWS,” said Willard, who used his mobile unit to pass out about 800 boxes to families in need.
“What happened here is when they pull up, they sign up down at the first table, pull up to the dog food table, and then they pull up here, and whatever numbers on the tag if its two families in the car, each family in the car gets an emergency food box, and a WeCare food box, and the Patrick County blue bag is personal hygiene bag,” he said. “All kinds of non-perishable, shelf-stable items are in both food boxes.”
From there, the cars pulled up to the Feeding America Southwest Virginia’s mobile unit, which offered produce, vegetables, and eggs.
“And what you can here, if you’ve got an EBT card, you can purchase stuff the same way I purchase my stuff. It’s cheaper than a grocery store price,” Willard said.
If visitors didn’t have an EBT card, Willard said, the workers would help them apply.
“They will sign up, give you the application, help you with it, and it’s kind of a much faster process to get your EBT card. Of course, the items that they sell are dirt cheap. I buy all of my food from them, everything we get is from them,” he said.
Feeding America also sets up with the local organization on scheduled donation days — every fourth Tuesday, Willard said, and added “just because you got a box today, doesn’t mean you can’t come to the warehouse and get one, because you can.”
The group also operates a senior citizen program.
To participate, “call my wife (Carol Willard) and she’ll take your information down and turns it into Feeding America. If you’re approved, you’ve got to be over 60 and you can’t make over $1,390, I think a month,” Willard said.
Once approved, Willard said applicants may be put on a waiting list, and “as people drop off, you’ll move up.”
Willard said that before food distributions, “we call everybody the night before. When I find out exactly my date that I pick them up, we will call everyone and let them know.”
Willard said he saw an increase from 135 people to 280 people in one week.
“So, it will be 280 senior citizens now getting a box. We sit down and call each one the night before,” he said and estimated about 100 of those boxes belong to Patrick County senior citizens. Willard added that he hopes to increase the number of those served.
The organization also distributes food boxes on the fourth Tuesday of every month at the Disaster Relief Food Ministry Warehouse, 24A Governor Stanley Highway, Bassett, starting at 1 p.m.
For more information, visit www.facebook,com/DisasterReliefFoodMinistry or www.drfminc.com, call 276-229-6272, or email Willard at drfm.lnc@gmail.com.
Donations can be made on the ministry’s website or mailed to P.O. Box 993, Stuart, VA.
