Minnie’s Food Pantry Asks for Locals’ Support

With growing local concerns over the spread of Covid-19, Minnie’s Food Pantry in Plano is already feeling the pinch. Volunteers have been canceling shifts. More people taking off work need to visit the pantry for food they cannot afford.

Now that Plano ISD has extended students’ spring break holiday another week through March 20, Minnie’s expects the demand for its services to only grow. Many students depend on the free and reduced lunches served at school, and they can go hungry when school is out.

“We always see a surplus in clients during times when schools are closed, such as spring break and summer vacations, and with the school districts extending their spring break vacations, we expect for the amount of new clients to continue to grow,” said Cheryl Jackson, founder and executive director of Minnie’s Food Pantry.

At this immediate time, Minnie’s Food Pantry plans to stay open, but support from our community is crucial. Staff reiterated that the food pantry is only able to keep the doors open as long as the shelves are stocked.

How you can help:

Make financial donations online. “We are running out of many staple items ourselves and our shelves are going bare, not only from the increased number of clients, but also from the decrease in donations being received and the lack of food drives being hosted during this time,” Cheryl said. Every dollar donated equal three meals.

If you are healthy, consider volunteering. “Volunteers have been cancelling shifts as many corporations will not allow offsite activities for their staff in an effort to protect their own employees, which we completely understand and respect. This however means less hands on deck, which equates to more hours for our team as the workload is growing,” said Cheryl. Volunteer tasks range from serving clients to sorting and packing boxes for distribution.

Minnie’s Food Pantry was founded in 2008 and has served over 11.3 million meals to locals in need. The food pantry moved to 661 E 18th St. in east Plano in August 2019.