HOUSTON – Kroger and partners kicked off a grocery donation event Wednesday morning for the community surrounding Jim’s Supermarket, which burned down last month. The partnership is with Kroger, the City of Houston, the Houston Food Bank and METRO to deliver groceries directly to Houstonians in need. “Usually we are in the business of transporting people, but today we are in the business of transporting food to people in need, so we are excited for the opportunity,” said METRO’s Senior Director of Contracted, Paratransit and Micro Transit Services, Art Jackson. Metro vehicles and drivers delivered the groceries directly to the homes of identified families in need. Representatives from Kroger said they are doing a similar grocery donation in the area next month.

When Jim’s Supermarket burned down on Friday, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee said she knew it would hurt families here. She helped organize a food giveaway with the Houston Food Bank and is working to secure federal funding to help Jim’s rebuild. Residents told KPRC 2 the food giveaway will help them for a little bit because Jim’s is now gone. Karen Hunyh, whose family owns Jim’s Supermarket, was at the giveaway with other family members. Congresswoman Lee said to help, she is calling on food truck owners to come set up shop near Jim’s to help community members with food availability.

HOUSTON A well-known supermarket in the south Houston community has been reduced to rubble. Jims Supermarket at Yellowstone Boulevard and Calhoun Road was destroyed by a fire on Friday. We just try to get everybody out and make sure that everybody was safe, said supervisor Wilber Wilson. While it is still unclear how the fire started that ultimately destroyed the business, the community is shaken by the loss. You know it wont be the same on the southside of Houston no more, said Bowles.