Kansas City, KS
-- Operation Blessing recently teamed up with the Kansas City Royals and
Kansas City Chiefs for their third annual food distribution. Over two thousand
hungry children and adults eagerly came to the JFK Community Center for
free groceries and met their favorite players. Read more about the day’s
activities…
Mounds of crisp white bags lined
the sidewalk. The low-income area’s children, single parents, the
elderly and handicapped patiently worked their way to the front of the line.
Each adult’s determination was awarded when one of the more than 200
volunteers placed two sacks of groceries into their outstretched arms. Peering
into the heavy packages, guests saw potatoes, onions, fresh salad, Quaker
cereal & granola bars, Allen Canning beans, Mt. Olive pickles/relish,
Rice-A-Roni, Top Ramen Noodles from Nissin Foods, Hershey candy, and Snapple
drinks!
“After waiting hours in line, it was so encouraging to see so many
smiles on people's faces while they received the food that will help them
get through the week,” reflected Rebecca Cross, OBI’s procurement
manager. “A simple ‘thank you’ from a single mom with
her little ones tagging along behind made the day all worthwhile.”
Volunteers from Southwestern Bell, Boys & Girls Club, Feed The People,
Royals Charities, area churches, Royals, Chiefs as well as Boys &
Girls Club of Wyandotte County began filling up approximately 3,300 bags
early in the morning. More than fifteen professional athletes including
WR Eddie Kennison, LB Mike Maslowski and FB Tony Richardson from the Chiefs
as well as Royals’ P Runelvys Hernandez, 3B Joe Randa and 1B Mike
Sweeney joined the dedicated team in serving the guests with groceries.
As if getting autographs and posing for pictures with players wasn’t
enough, 1,000 young guests each received a bag filled with an educational
CD from Chick-fil-A, an Rugrats t-shirt, an OB bear, Twinkies, gel pens,
Chiefs & Royals team paraphernalia, candy and of course a toothbrush!
After the day’s dust had settled and Operation Blessing’s
Hunger Strike Force tractor-trailers had left for home, many more Kansas
City households looked into their cupboards knowing they hadn’t
been forgotten.
Hungry children and their families are in every corner of the United
States. Every day the handicapped, working poor and elderly are faced
with the decision of whether to buy medicine or food. They long to see
a Hunger Strike Force truck unload nutritious things to eat in their town.
Your gift will help make that wish come true.
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