Oak Cliff landlord teams up with North Texas Food Bank

DALLAS - A North Texas landlord is working to provide more than just shelter for his residents; he’s providing food. And when people see the need, it is eye opening.

Every Tuesday, hundreds of people line up at Park Creek Manor apartment complex in Oak Cliff and wait for a North Texas Food Bank truck.

Mary Swan lives on social security.

“This is a lot of help to my family,” she said. “Is it tough to make ends meet on that check? On mine, it is. And they gave me a raise, too.”

The food bank truck is filled with about 10,000 pounds of food, including fresh fruits and vegetables.

Velma Martinez was at the food truck for the first time. She says she had to quit her job due to severe arthritis, and her husband's employer is closing. She usually doesn't get fresh produce because it's too expensive.

“Never asked for help,” she said. “This is my first time.”

Since there's no food pantry in Oak Cliff, Ruel Hamilton lets the North Texas Food Bank use three of his apartment complexes as distribution sites.

“They'll drop off between 8 to 10,000 pounds,” he said. “It goes pretty fast. We'll go until there is nothing left."

While most of the food is donated, the food bank inspects all of the produce to make sure it is at its peak. The food truck provides enough to feed about 300 families four dinners for a week."

Many people in line for the food truck had young children with them.

“One in four kids in our community is hungry,” said Diana Carranza with the North Texas Food Bank. “We work to make sure those kids who are our community's future have the food they need."

The North Texas Food Bank says for every dollar they receive, they can provide three meals.