JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After struggling to keep food on their shelves, the Downtown Ecumenical Services Council got one of the biggest deliveries of the year to its food pantry Tuesday.
Volunteers spent hours unloading a truck full of food for people who need help in Jacksonville.
"We are here to give a hand up and that's all folks need. A lot of our clients are not unemployed, they work for a living, sometimes two jobs. They just don't earn enough money to make ends meet at the end of the month," said Jeff Matthews, executive director of the council.
One of those clients is now a volunteer and she says it helped her family get on their feet when they moved to Jacksonville.
"I received, she received, my daughter in-law received, we put our dinner together and it just worked beautiful," said client and volunteer Milagros Bonella.
The council said this shipment is proof of how important donations are to their mission.
All the food stocking the shelves of the council was bought from another food bank in Orlando using those donations.
But the council does more than just feed the hungry. It also provides clothing and financial assistance for rent and utilities.
"Those three prongs are what we are asked to do for (others) in the Bible and that's what we are able to do here," Matthews explained.
Another truck will restock the pantries again in four months.
If you want to help, whether it's to donate or volunteer, head to decjax.org.