At times the wind came whipping cold. Other times a chilling drizzle coated the workers’ parkas and vests.

But a partnership between Church of the Resurrection and LINC to deliver meals and other support to Kansas City families carried on regardless of sunshine or winter gloom because the needs of the people lining up in their cars did not change with the weather.

In four food distributions during the last two weeks of December, this first-time collaboration between the Leawood-based Church of the Resurrection and LINC’s community services served a total of 4,594 individuals in 1,146 families, loading their vehicles with 78,998 pounds of food.

Harvesters and Kanbe’s Markets provided much of the food, including meat, fresh fruit, vegetables and snacks. LINC also provided grocery gift cards, children’s books and resource information.

Rockhurst University, Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church and Kansas City Public Schools’ East High School provided the distribution sites.

And the Church of the Resurrection and LINC marshaled the workers to load the goods into vehicle after vehicle.

The partnership created the “opportunity . . . to meet the needs of families,” said LINC Caring Communities Administrator Sean Akridge. “We want to show families we appreciate them, we’re looking out for them and we want them to have a great holiday.”

Many supporters of the Church of the Resurrection’s outreach helped make the food drive possible, said the church’s Liz Campbell.

“We’ve had a lot of donations for this to happen and we are thankful for that,” she said. “We are also really blessed to have people come through and give them the opportunity to get some extra food in this difficult time.”

The four distributions were targeted to help families from Troost, Wendell Phillips, Wheatley and J.A Rogers elementary schools — schools that the Church of the Resurrection has adopted to give support as part of its community outreach. But the broader community came as well as word of the distributions spread, many families joining the car line when they saw the sign-waving invitations out on the street.

The regular school breakfast and lunch meal services by the Kansas City Public Schools that many families rely on was going to be unavailable while schools were out, and Church of the Resurrection, LINC and their partners wanted to help support families through the holiday break.

“Participating in drive-through events like this has been very impactful and powerful,” said Carmen Hatten, Kanbe's Markets Development Manager.

Kanbe’s is a non-profit that helps local stores provide fresh and healthy food in neighborhoods that lack traditional grocery stores. But its role has grown during the pandemic to be part of an “emergency response” that is especially important in 2020, Hatten said, “with so much emergent need.”

Jackson County Executive Frank White, a longtime member of Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church, came out in support of the second of two distributions in his church’s parking lot.

He grew up in the Morning Star church neighborhood near 27th Street and Prospect Avenue and said it was a “great honor” to see his church teamed with the wealth of partners in this mission of goodwill.

“It’s a great job they’re doing in feeding our community,” he said.

Rockhurst University, just a few blocks from Troost Elementary School, was eager to join in the collaboration and host the first distribution, said Alicia Douglas, the university’s director of community relations and outreach.

“A lot of folks have felt all different kinds of ups and downs,” she said. “It’s great for us to be able to spread some love right now.”

Tiffany Relves said her family is dealing with hardships this holiday season and was relieved and grateful to see the LINC staffer waving down passersby on Troost Avenue who might need food and other help.

“This means everything to my family,” she said. “When you’ve got so many different things going on in your life and it’s really hard, you get just one person who’s willing to stop and say, ‘Hey, I understand that this could be me.’ I thank you guys so much.”

By Joe Robertson/LINC Writer

Video edited by Bryan Shepard