August 24 – Relief and a distraction from the current pandemic came in the form of free food boxes for families. The distribution took place Thursday and Friday, July 15 – 16, 2020, at the Waller County Community Center (WCCC) in Prairie View.

If you passed by, you might have noticed vehicles were lined east on Owens Road, from the Waller County Community Center (WCCC), in a line that stretched approximately three miles.

The line remained orderly thanks to Prairie View City Police, University Police, City Council Members Wendy Williams and Kendric Jones, City Secretary, Allison Bynum, City Utilities Supervisor, Amanda Hudspeth City Utility Department personnel, USW Utility Group, Kathryn Reed, and Johnie Walker.

They, along with volunteers and members of the Kappa Alpha Psi Alumni Fraternity, delivered boxes to home-bound residents. A Census 2020 representative was also present to remind residents about the importance of registering and being counted.

The Farmers to Families food box, food drive is part of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, announced back in April. Through this program, U.S. Department of Agriculture partners with national, regional and local distributors, whose workforces have been significantly impacted by the closure of restaurants, hotels and other food-service businesses, to purchase up to $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy and meat products from American producers of all sizes.

The program supplies food boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, meat products, and a combination box of fresh produce, dairy or meat products.

The local effort was a collaboration between the City of Prairie View Mayor David Allen, Prairie View A. & M. University’s College of Agriculture, and PVAMU’s USDA Liaison, Mr. Horace Hodge.  Residents received 1,536 boxes of fruit and vegetables Thursday, and 3,400 boxes of chicken Friday.

Waller County Commissioners and the County Fire Marshal provided access to the WCCC for this event.

The next food drive will be Friday, August 27, 2020.

For more information about this program, contact:

Horace Hodge
USDA/1890 Program Liaison
hdhodge@pvamu.edu
( 202) 302-4712