On Tuesday, December 22, 2020, Mattie Rhodes Center will distribute holiday meals, fresh groceries and winter clothing to families in need.

Throughout the pandemic, Mattie Rhodes Center has provided over $50,000 in emergency food assistance to families, and staff say they are honored to be able to provide additional help for the holidays.

Meals and clothing will be given to families between 12 and 4 p.m. at the Northeast Mattie Rhodes Center location at 148 N. Topping Ave.

“Our participant families are experiencing desperate times and we are grateful to our partners who have provided a bit of hope and joy for the holidays with a holiday ham dinner and winter clothing for their children,” said John Fierro, President and CEO at Mattie Rhodes Center.

According to Mattie Rhodes staff, this event would not be possible without the help of some of their generous community partners such as Commerce Bancshares Foundation, Bank of America, Clay County, CARES ACT funding from Clay County, and Jackson County Food Assistance Program.

Their support, along with the partnership of local grocer El Torito, has allowed Mattie Rhodes to provide each family weekly fresh groceries such as eggs, milk, bread, fresh meat, and produce for just $24.60 per bag.

“Unfortunately we are at the end of our food assistance funding so we will not be able to continue to provide weekly fresh groceries after the beginning of the year unless another funder offers support,” Fierro said. “These last few deliveries are definitely a “thank you” to our families for trusting us to help them during one of the hardest years we’ve ever seen.”

Being located in the Historic Northeast neighborhood for over 10 years, Mattie Rhodes Center staff is acutely aware of the resource disparities that exist in certain areas of Kansas City, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. One in three residents in the neighborhoods Mattie Rhodes serves live below the poverty level and for many families, this means they would otherwise go without a special meal for the holidays. 

Mattie Rhodes Center’s mission is to enrich the lives of individuals, families and communities in a respectful, multicultural environment.