Maverick County Demand for Free Senior Food Distribution Outstrips Supply
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2020
Over 1,000 senior Maverick County residents, age 55 or older, participated in the April 15 and April 16, 2020 free food distribution events held in Quemado and Eagle Pass, Texas sponsored by the South Texas Food Bank of Laredo, Texas, outstripping the food supply and leaving approximately 300-500 senior citizens without a food allocation.
Demand for the free senior food distribution in Maverick County was far greater than the supply brought for distribution as thousands flocked to the April 16th event at the Maverick County Lake in Eagle Pass, Texas as people in their automobiles began to line up for the 10 A.M. Drive-Thru only distribution event since 7 A.M. and the line of automobiles stretched for over two miles from the County Lake to South Bibb Avenue then to South El Indio Highway past the South Veterans Boulevard intersection to near the Memo Robinson Boulevard intersection.
The demand and response of needy senior Maverick County residents for the free food distribution event greatly exceeded the expectations of local officials and South Texas Food Bank, demonstrating the great need and hunger due to the COVID-19 pandemic within the community.
Eagle Pass Mayor Luis E. Sifuentes stated at a press conference on April 16, 2020 that officials expected a large turnout but not the huge number of people and automobiles that turned out to the event, causing a traffic jam in the city during the morning to early afternoon. Sifuentes added that the South Texas Food Bank will be doing another free senior food distribution in Eagle Pass within two weeks, but the location will be changed to the Eagle Pass Independent School District Student Activity Center on U.S. Highway 277 South and Loop 480 to accommodate the large number of automobiles and traffic flow.
Maverick County Judge David R. Saucedo announced the number of senior Maverick Countians receiving a free food allocation during both days of distribution. Saucedo stated that on April 15th at the Quemado distribution event, a total of 145 senior citizens were given a food allocation serving 237 adults and 67 children for a grand total of 300 people. Saucedo added that for the April 16th event in Eagle Pass, a total of 634 senior Maverick Countians received a food allocation serving 1,227 adults and 258 children for a grand total of 1,485 people. Overall, the April 15 and 16th South Texas Food Bank free senior food distribution dispensed a total of 779 food allocations serving 1,464 adults and 425 children for a grand total of 1,889 people in Maverick County.
Local law enforcement agencies such as the Eagle Pass Police Department, Maverick County Sheriff’s Department, Maverick County Constables, Eagle Pass Independent School District Police Department, and Texas Department of Public Safety handled the huge traffic jam extremely well, keeping the traffic flow to circulate in a safe and efficient manner.
Local officials at the April 16th event took down the names and information of the estimated 300-500 senior citizens who did not receive a food allocation to ensure that they do get one in two weeks when another food distribution is held at the EPISD Student Activity Center.
