Each vehicle that comes down the line gets two weeks’ worth of food.
ST. LOUIS — The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis held a drive-thru giveaway on Monday to help families in need, including survivors of the May tornado.
The event fell on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but Urban League leaders said it’s what Dr. King would’ve wanted. Urban League President Michael McMillan said the event didn’t start until noon, but cars were lining up much earlier.
“When you see people showing up at 7 a.m. on a day that’s as cold as this, it shows you how deep the need is,” McMillan said.
Tornado victim Aurora Fluhr said the food distribution is vital considering so many families lost everything in the storm.
“We’ve been in the cold, we’ve had windows from the tornado destroyed, lack of food. It was such a devastating event that people don’t understand. Just because you can’t see the damage doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist,” Fluhr said. “It’s a blessing because FEMA didn’t give us any money.”
From food to toiletries and other necessary items, volunteers packed each vehicle full. The Mason family lives and works in north city, so they’ve seen the destruction firsthand.
“I was here boots on the ground ever since the tornado hit just watching people struggle so now that they’re rebuilding, I’m grateful the community has stepped in,” said the Mason family.
Urban League leaders handed out food to around 3,000 families on Monday and each car received two weeks’ worth of food. If you missed it, there’s Urban League pantries across our region you can visit.
“We want homes to be put back the way they were before the tornado and get us back on our feet so we can be productive citizens too and pay it forward,” Fluhr said.
Dining and Cooking