The Covid crisis has brought out the best and worst in our elected officials.  Just as the bad deserves criticism the good deserves recognition.  To that end we need to recognize the District J food distribution organized by Councilman Edward Pollard’s office.

When asked about the undertaking Pollard said:

The reason for the free food distribution is because I know that the pandemic has severely impacted low income communities the most. People are in need of resources and I wanted to do all I could to lift a little of the burden off these families during these challenging times.  We were able to serve over 2,000 families with enough food for a family of 4 for at least a week. We provided boxes of meat, canned goods, fruits, vegetables, and drinks, all for free. There was no registration required and went on a first come first serve basis. We had walk up and drive thru opportunities.

This was a mammoth undertaking, and it was a rousing success with Pollard noting:

The food was provided by the Houston Food Bank, the food was purchased by the Ardenwood Group and the Southwest Management District. We had over 150 volunteers and it was held at the PlazAmericas Mall located at 7500 Bellaire Blvd in the heart of District J.

Mayor Turner showed up at the distribution.  To his credit, the mayor didn’t simply just show up, take a photo and leave.  He happened to select the station I was manning to assist, and he jumped right in and joined the line where we were distributing milk. He simply participated rather than trying to engage in political activities.

Hunger knows no ideology.  It is great to see everyone come together to address a common area of concern.

Thank you Councilman Pollard and Mayor Turner.