Why hundreds came to downtown Modesto – and left with smiles on their faces
Deborah Englund relies on the donations from Second Harvest Food Bank – just enough eggs, produce, potatoes, butter and juice – to help her get through the month on a fixed income.
She earns money as an in-home caregiver for seriously ill people. She says her paycheck isn't enough to keep her food pantry stocked after paying bills and $1,000 monthly rent.
"Trust me, it's a blessing," Englund said Monday while loading about 25 to 30 pounds of groceries into the trunk of her small car.
The Modesto woman was one of about 500 people who received donated groceries from the food bank's Mobile Fresh giveaway on Monday morning in the parking lot of Revival Center The Pentecostal Church in downtown Modesto.
The long line of people wrapped around the corner of Seventh and I streets. They patiently waited in the cold January weather for a load of groceries to help them make ends meet.
Englund and her brother, Gerald Butterfield, took home produce such as asparagus, celery and lettuce. Butterfield said they just wouldn't be able to afford these groceries on their limited income.
"It helps out a lot," Butterfield said. "Stuff that, if you went to the store, it would cost you a fortune. They really do add up."
Matt Aguirre, warehouse manager for Second Harvest of San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties, said they offer these groceries through the Mobile Fresh program to anyone who needs it.
"All you have to do is show up, and you'll get free food," Aguirre said.
The program, at locations in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, targets those in need by providing healthier food options and easy to access nutrition education. Aguirre said they provide about 25 to 30 pounds of groceries to each person once a month, including nutrient rich fruits and vegetables necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The Mobile Fresh giveaways in downtown Modesto have been around for nearly a year, targeting low income and under-served residents. Aguirre said Monday's event brought in two trucks hauling about 12,000 pounds of groceries to hand out.
He said he encountered on Monday one teary-eyed woman who was grateful for the donated groceries.
"She said: 'We barely had enough money to pay the bills,'" Aguirre said. "We hear stories like that all the time."
He said 80 percent of the food handed out is donated to the food bank, and the rest is purchased through donations from sponsors and other donors. Organizers spread the word through its Facebook page about where and when the food will be handed out.
Aguirre, who also is a minister at the Revival Center, said his church provided a centralized location with enough space to handle a long line of people. He said the center will host the monthly Mobile Fresh giveaways in Modesto through June.
The food bank also offers Mobile Fresh events at Modesto's Robertson Road Elementary and Shackelford Elementary schools, in which the children are offered breakfast foods, such as cereal and granola bars, along with bags of produce they can take home. Parents also volunteer to hand out the donated food to the children.
For more information about Second Harvest Food Bank or to learn how to donate, visit its website localfoodbank.org.
This story was originally published January 22, 2018 at 2:03 PM with the headline "Why hundreds came to downtown Modesto – and left with smiles on their faces."