Frisco Family Services Food Pantry Receives 3,880 Item Donation
Kristan MillerFeatured Photo: Alexis Griffin helps organize food pantry donations. Photo by Kristan Miller
FRISCO, TX — One week. Two donation efforts. 3,880 donated items.
During times of crisis, it’s not surprising that charitable organizations are needed more than ever. That has definitely been the case during the COVID-19 pandemic for Frisco Family Services. In turn, the need has been significant for the organization. In response to the need, two donation efforts were put together by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, resulting in 3,880 items being delivered to the doorstep of the food pantry.
As the only social service organization in Frisco, Frisco Family Services has seen about a 45% increase in need since the beginning of March. Food provided to the community topped out at 61,000 lbs for the month of April alone. The number of those new to needing assistance has been increasing each week as well. For the last week of April, 50 families applied for additional services and the vast majority — 90% — were new to getting help. The team at FFS helped those in need not only with food but also with empathy that they are not alone. As Keri Keck, FFS Client Services Director, said, “We are all going through this together … as a nation, as a world.”
FFS Client Services Director Keri Keck, left, with Church of Jesus Christ volunteer Taylor Frederickson. Photo by Kristan Miller.
Frisco Family Services has been able to address the increased demand in part due to the landmark donation provided by the Church back in November. That donation was 20,000 pounds of food – one of the largest-ever, single-source food donations the organization has received. Keri shared, “The flour, the peaches, the pasta … It’s been the staple foundation of what we’ve been able to distribute to the families during this time.” But with the last bag of flour from that donation now gone, more help was needed.
The Frisco Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints decided to address the need in two ways, given that caring for the poor and those in crisis is a foundational belief of the Church. First, Frisco Stake leadership (stakes are similar to Catholic dioceses) organized a food donation from its area bishops’ storehouse. The donation was part of the 15 truckloads of commodities currently being delivered each week from the Church’s network of bishops’ storehouses to food banks and other charitable organizations across the country.
The donation came in the form of a full food-laden pallet, standing nearly 5 feet high and 3 ½ feet wide. Weighing in at about 2250 pounds, the pallet was filled with 640 pounds of white flour, 240 cans of tuna, 192 cans of chili, 72 cans of cream of mushroom soup, 72 bottles of vegetable oil and 92 cans each of beef, beef stew, pork & beans, turkey, chicken rotini soup, cream of chicken soup, tomato soup, spaghetti sauce. The donation arrived at Frisco Family Services Food Pantry on Thursday, April 30.
Two days later, the second donation effort was in full swing. Thirteen youth leaders from Frisco and The Colony, ranging from 15 to 18 years old, organized and executed a food drive. This allowed members of the Church, their neighbors, and friends to personally contribute and make a difference. The youth conducted the food drive as a drive-thru event — those donating drove up and opened their trunks, while youth wearing PPE unloaded the items for them.
At the end of the 3-hour donation time period, the youth had collected and counted 2,472 items ranging from peanut butter to vegetable oil to granola bars. It required 4 trucks and SUVs to bring all the donations to the food pantry. Alexis Griffin, a senior at Lebanon Trail High School and a member of the Frisco 1st congregation of the Church, shared, “I really enjoyed being able to see how much our church was willing to donate! Everything really added up. I’m grateful to have something positive like this to do during this time of uncertainty.”
In speaking of the donation efforts, Frisco Stake President Kris Katseanes, summed it up by saying, “It is a joy and privilege to follow the example of Jesus Christ in service to others, and even better to do it with so many wonderful people, both the youth and those who are older, within our community.”
As President Katseanes applauded the efforts of Frisco Family Services, Keri shared, “Without support like this, we would not be able to do what we do.”
Anyone wishing to donate or in need of assistance can find more information at friscofamilyservices.org or by calling (972) 335-9495.
About Frisco Family Services
Serving the Frisco and Frisco ISD communities for more than 25 years, Frisco Family Services is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to help members of our communities who are facing hunger, homelessness and other urgent needs improve their quality of life and achieve self-sufficiency. Through Frisco Family Services, individuals and families in crisis, living in the Frisco and Frisco ISD community are provided access to nutritious food through Frisco’s only community food pantry, partial emergency financial assistance for rent/mortgage, utilities, and prescription medication; and additional tools and opportunity through educational assistance, employment support, and a variety of life skills classes. Frisco Resale provides vouchers to qualified clients to shop in the store and sells clothing, furniture, and household items to help fund Frisco Family Services’ programs. Additional programs include the Summer Lunch Program, Back2School Fun Fair, Thanksgiving Meal Program, Holiday Store Program, and Silver Bells Social and Celebration for seniors.
