Volunteers take food to cars on Monday during the East Texas Food Bank drive-thru food distribution. 

Volunteers guided a long line of cars full of residents ready to receive food at the East Texas Food Bank’s drive-thru food distribution event Monday.

While the East Texas Food bank has worked with Green Acres Baptist Church to hold these distributions monthly since around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, this one was special because it helped families prepare for the holiday, said Dennis Cullinane, CEO of the East Texas Food Bank.

“Usually, we hold these programs on a Saturday, but with Thanksgiving falling on a Thursday the church and food bank decided that we wanted to hold it closer to the holiday so people would have an opportunity to get some groceries for their pantries and to put on the table for their holiday feast,” Cullinane said.

There was enough food at the distribution to feed around 1,800 households, he added.

Cullinane said it’s important to help others wherever and however you can, especially when it comes to helping households with children and seniors in the community.

Holding food drives helps relieve the food burden from people and gives them one less thing to worry about during the Thanksgiving holiday, Cullinane said.

“Part of our mission is feeding hope, and you know, we feed the body, but we also want them to feel and really understand that there is a generous community that cares about them and that their needs will be met,” he said.

Cullinane said the East Texas Food Bank often sees former clients paying back the help they got when they can. They will often come out and volunteer themselves or donate food or money, he said.

The East Texas Food Bank is grateful for all its financial donors, food donors and volunteers, Cullinane said. If not for them, “the work that we do could not be possible,” he said.