About 300 Mendota families received boxes Saturday containing cereals, pasta, chicken, corned beef, and other food items, filling their pantries before the Thanksgiving holiday.

The THANKS for GIVING with AMOR food distribution was coordinated by the Alliance for Medical Outreach and Relief (AMOR), with the assistance of contributors and volunteers, spokeswoman Stacy Hurtado Khun said Monday.

The food distribution was the sixth annual event, she said. Some food items were donated by the Central California Food Bank, while Grocery Outlet of Kerman provided heavily-discounted food items that were purchased with donated funds, she said.

The selected families had been identified by other community members as struggling and in need of assistance, Hurtado Khun said.

“We talked with a couple of them, and they’re so thankful to have us there,” she said. “They were really appreciative. And the look on their faces just said it all.”

Scores of Volunteers Helped Pack Boxes

Saturday’s mornings rainy weather didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of 45 volunteers who included the organization Teens Who Care and Fresno County Supervisor Brian Pacheco, Granville Homes, Malakan Diamond Co., West Hills College students, and community members from around the Central Valley. Hurtado Khun said.

The box-packing operations were moved inside the AMOR Wellness Center, and when it was time to load up the trucks and start delivering, the sun had come out, she said.