Vidalia — Feed the Hungry, which started as one plastic garbage can for donations in a church foyer, has grown into a program that serves food to the needy all across the Miss-Lou.

The program, which was started by Linda Bonnette at First Assembly of God in Vidalia, distributes between 10,000 and 15,000 pounds of food to needy families on the last Saturday of each month.

Feed the Hungry serves Concordia and other neighboring parishes, as well as Natchez and even Bude and Woodville.

“Just because that river is there doesn’t mean we won’t help you,” she said. “We’re a family here.”

Food will be distributed Dec. 17 this month, just in time for the holidays. Bonnette said Feed the Hungry has a big need for dry goods, such as beans, cereal, oatmeal and flour. Bonnette said the food pantry typically receives a good deal of canned goods.

“But we’ll take anything we can get,” she said.

Feed the Hungry also accepts frozen food, and Bonnette said there is a special need for turkeys around the holidays. She said the program just received eight large turkeys from Walmart.

“When I went over there, I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, eight huge turkeys,’” she said. “Now the hard part is deciding who to give them to.”

Families with children, Bonnette said, usually get priority for the holiday turkeys.

Feed the Hungry has been serving families in the Miss-Lou for 14 years. Bonnette said she feels blessed to serve people, especially because she can relate to their situation.

Bonnette’s husband, C.J., had a heart attack several years ago and had to have multiple surgeries and could not work. Bonnette said they struggled to put food on the table and needed help.

“I know what it makes you feel like,” she said. “When people come in, I can tell them, ‘Hey, I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to have to step up and ask for help.’”

Applicants fill out a four-page application for the program’s services, and eligibility is based on income and number of people in the household.

Feed the Hungry also provides emergency assistance to people who need meals before food distribution day.

The program’s annual red light drive will be from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Dec. 16. Local professionals and city officials will stand at red lights in Vidalia and collect money for Feed the Hungry.

Donations can be dropped off at Feed the Hungry’s building at First Assembly of God in Vidalia.

Monetary donations can be mailed to Feed the Hungry at PO 577, Vidalia, LA., 71373.

For more information on Feed the Hungry, call Bonnette at 318-336-8748, 318-336-2428 or 318-719-9760.