Thousands of pounds of food distributed in Edinburg
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Bag by bag, car by car, volunteers packed goods and delivered groceries to families in need in Edinburg.
As the government shutdown stretches into its second week, over 1,000 people showed up to a Friday food distribution drive hosted by Driscoll Health Plan, UTRGV and the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley at the Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium.
The 1,050 people who showed up received bags weighing 22 pounds that contained produce, rice and beans, cereal and educational resources.
Many who showed up said they are starting to grow worried about how they are going to put food on their table amid the government shutdown.
The Food Bank RGV said in a previous interview with Channel 5 News that they were worried the shutdown would lead to more demand as federal workers begin to rely on food banks due to a lack of a paycheck.
RELATED STORY: RGV Food bank bracing for more demand amid government shutdown
Among those who received the food was Maria Alvarez, who said she arrived to pick up food for her niece — A Border Patrol employee.
Alvarez said her niece has five children to feed, which she is struggling to do so without a paycheck.
“It’s sad, I wish everything would get resolved so they can get paid and keep on going with their normal life,” Alvarez said.
Driscoll Community Outreach Ambassador Alfred Molina said they've seen other recipients like Alvarez's niece struggling to put food on the table.
“They might have lost their food stamps, they might be pending food stamps or maybe they ran out of food at home,” Molina said.
As part of Driscoll and UTRGV Give Back Day 2025, a second food distribution event was held in McAllen.
Watch the video above for the full story.
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