PINE BLUFF, Ark. — When Debra Allen started First Ward Living Grace Pantry, she would make the drive from Pine Bluff to Little Rock to fill up at the Arkansas Food Bank.

“I just woke up one morning and said I’m going to see what I have to do to be able to do a food pantry,” Allen said.

The Victory Over Violence Food 4 the Holidays Telethon will benefit the Arkansas Food Bank and, in turn, pantries like First Ward Living Grace.

Now pallets of food are coming to Ward Street and hundreds of other pantries and schools across the state thanks to the food bank.

“We service about maybe about 700 to 800 vehicles a month we’ve been going on about 4- 5 years
now,” Allen said.

“It’s our job to connect people with the resources they need. So, we will get it wherever we can,” Eric Shelby, COO of Arkansas Food Bank, said.

But Allen says without donations to the bank, especially during the pandemic, many would go hungry in Jefferson County.

“Oh my god, I couldn’t do it without them,” Allen said. “There is no way.”

The Victory Over Violence Food 4 the Holidays Telethon is Wednesday, Dec. 8, and it’s sponsored by Red River Auto Group.