HOUSTON – More and more families are turning to local food banks for help as the COVID-19 outbreak has led to closures, job losses and more.
ExxonMobil, that employs 11,000 people in the Houston area, announced Friday that it will donate $250,000 to Houston-area food banks to provide people in need with 1 million meals.
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“The Houston Food Bank will receive $200,000, including $50,000 worth of gasoline gift cards for use at Exxon- and Mobil-branded retail stations to help deliver food to those in need,” the company wrote in a press release.
The company will also make a $50,000 donation to the Montgomery County Food Bank.
Besides the donations, the oil giant also announced it is now using Isopropyl alcohol to manufacture hand sanitizer, as well as producing Polypropylene used to make protective masks and face shields.
The Houston Food Bank has seen a huge increase in demand since the coronavirus pandemic became a concern in the Houston area. On March 26, the Houston Food Bank said it was handling nearly double the amount of food that it usually deals with, amounting to about 850,000 pounds or 24 semi truck-fulls of food.
You can also get help from the city of Houston’s curbside meal program at 50 community centers around the city. Houston Independent School District also announced Friday that it will be relaunching its food distribution program on Monday, April 6.
Families can also visit HoustonFoodBank.org to find out more places they can go to get food.