Gulf Coast Veterans Advocacy Council, Inc. (GCVAC) and New Life Church will host a Community Drive Thru Food and Mask Giveaway event from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, at Buster Morino Community Center located at 4168 Old Highway 61 N, Leland.
GCVAC and New Life Church have partnered with Vessels of Mercy, Sacred Heart, God’s People in Unity, and Pilgrim Rest churches, the City of Leland, Heart of Hospice, Together for Hope and Delta Health Alliance in organizing this community event.
In addition, they’ve partnered with MDOT Central District Commissioner Willie Simmons, Dodge’s Chicken, McDonald’s, Dollar General Warehouse, Washington County, Delta News, Delta Radio and Jessie Gaither.
Remelda Lewis of the Greenville Mayor’s Health Council has joined with organizers to provide the free face masks.
GCVAC director for the state of Mississippi and supervisor for the AmeriCorps Vista Team of Mississippi, Tabbatha Magee, said she and her team’s aim is to not take anything back with them.
“We will have grocery bags full of food and we want to give it out until it’s gone,” she said.
She said that the GCVAC began hosting the giveaways back in December in various counties across the state.
“We partnered with the Food Distribution Network and we started at the Washington County Convention Center. I decided to get with our team and get with different counties,” she said. “With people having so much of a shortage of food, I saw that it was making a difference.”
GCVAC co-chairman and veterans benefit coordinator for AmeriCorps Vista, Kenny Magee, said during the pandemic, they noticed a lot of people were without.
“Families are struggling in different ways and our organization is primarily a veteran resource organization, but we deiced to bless the whole community because too many people would’ve been left out,” he said.
Kenny added that the giveaways have been highly successful as people have called the organization asking when they would be in their town town.
“It’s growing,” he said.
For more information, individuals may contact Tabbatha Magee at 662-822-3745.
