Mendota Families in Need Receive 300 Thanksgiving Meals

For the fourth year in a row, the Alliance for Medical Outreach & Relief held their annual Thanksgiving food drive on Saturday, providing 300 holiday food boxes to families in Mendota.

Beginning at the AMOR Wellness Center, volunteers from participating community organizations drove around town, knocked on doors, and greeted families with 50-pound tubs filled to the brim with festive food staples.

“Food insecurity in Mendota and the surrounding communities is pervasive in the best years,” said AMOR Executive Director, Davena Witcher. “The COVID pandemic has created an additional challenge for Mendota families due to the loss of jobs and resources.”  

A volunteer hands out food to a Mendota man on Saturday, Nov. 21. (AMOR/Karla Guerrero)

Community Organizations Help A Community In Need

Most of the families in Mendota are led by migrant farmworkers whose jobs come to a halt once the harvest season ends in late October. That leaves many families wondering where their next meal will come from.

“The community that we serve already faces significant food insecurity during ‘normal’ circumstances and with the added stress of the pandemic their need is greater,” said AMOR’s Community Engagement & Media Coordinator, Karla Guerrero.

Food Fit For A Thanksgiving Feast Makes A Lasting Impact

Some Thanksgiving staples such as fresh chicken, tri-tip, and pumpkin pies were delivered by 30 volunteers who drove directly to the family doorsteps.

A record-breaking 15,000 pounds of goods were delivered this year, beating out last year’s delivery of about 6,400 pounds.

AMOR, in partnership with Fresno EOC, distributes food to more than 200 families each month, but the need becomes more prevalent during the holidays when the harvest season ends.

“AMOR is grateful to our corporate partners that collected canned and dried goods,’ said Witcher. “We are also thankful to the sponsors and donors who generously gave their time and treasure to help us distribute to families in need of the most fundamental resources – food.”

A family in the Mendota community receives a container full of goods with the help of the AMOR food drive that took place Saturday, Nov.21. (AMOR/Karla Guerrero)

Participating Local Organizations

To help with additional donations for this year, AMOR placed donation boxes at various locations for non-perishable foods from Nov. 1  through Nov. 15.

The participants: Assemi Realty, Bad Buds, California Fresno Oil, Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters, Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, Fresno County Library, Fresno County Probation Department, Eye QVC, Granville Homes, Global Horticulture, Malakan Diamond, Red Triangle Oil, and Retro Junction, Reinhardt Insurance and Touchstone Pistachio Company.

(GV Wire Publisher Darius Assemi is an AMOR board member.)

AMOR Information

For more information, contact the AMOR Wellness Center at (559) 696-3408 or visit the website.