Amarillo Pop-Up Pantry>

Cactus Cares is excited to have partnered with the High Plains area agriculture community, High Plains Food Bank and Hillside Christian Church to host a Pop-Up Food Pantry, Friday, May 8, at Thompson Park in Amarillo, Texas.

Packs were given out on a first-come, first-serve basis, limit one per vehicle. There were 2,000 packs available to families in need, and no verification was required to receive food.

Each pack contained:

1 dozen eggs – donated by Cal-Maine Foods
1 lb. of cheese – donated by Hilmar Cheese Company, Inc.

2 gals. of whole milk – donated by Nutra Blend, Sarah Farms and Southwest Dairy Farmers
5 lbs. of ground beef – donated by Cactus Cares and Caviness Beef Packers
5 lbs. of potatoes – donated by Larsen Farms

According to the High Plains Food Bank (HPFB), requests for food assistance have increased nearly 20-fold throughout the Panhandle network since mid-March. In addition, HPFB’s distribution has increased 34% since March, and in April distributed over 845,000 pounds of food, the highest amount for that month in the organization’s history.

“When the agriculture community recognizes a need, they find a way to respond,” said Wayne Craig, executive director of Cactus Cares. “Each of our industries has a commitment to serve our community, and this is just one way we can reach out and help our neighbors.”

We are now looking to host additional Pop-Up Pantries throughout the Panhandle area.