By Autumn Rendall
Community takes care of its own. That’s why, on December 10, the Greater Houston LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Chamber Holiday Food Drive to ensure the city’s LGBTQ+ seniors have plenty of food on their plates this holiday season.
The drive will accept any non-perishable food items, but a shopping list of the seniors’ most-wanted supplies can be found here. There will be two drop-off options on December 10—from 8:00 a.m. to noon, drop-offs are at Signature Care ER (1925 E. TC Jester Blvd., Houston, TX 77008); and from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m., drop-offs are at Eureka Heights Brewery (941 W. 18th St. Houston, TX 77008).
“During the pandemic, we said, ‘We have to do something, we have to give back,’” says Tammi Wallace, co-founder, president, and CEO of the Greater Houston LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce. “And as a Chamber at this intersection of business and community, we are uniquely positioned to help bring together the business community to support the LGBTQ+ community, especially in times of need.”
Making sure that LGBTQ+ seniors have a reliable food source is one of the single most effective ways to improve their quality of life, according to the Chamber. The holidays are already difficult for many LGBTQ+ community members—though the season is supposed to be filled with peace and joy, queer and trans people are often faced with the reality of strained familial relationships. Many LGBTQ+ seniors face the additional hardship of needing to provide a holiday meal for their family, all while struggling to still have enough groceries for the week.
Wallace says many of these seniors have “paved the way for a lot of us,” particularly in a time when it wasn’t safe to be out as an LGBTQ+ person. Today, Wallace says, these seniors often suffer because they’re disconnected from families of origin, they might not have a place to spend the holiday, they’re sometimes cut off from their families, or may not have any children.
Even before the pandemic, one out of five LGBTQ+ adults lived in food poverty, with seniors experiencing additional food insecurity, according to the Chamber. Now, with COVID-19, LGBTQ+ seniors face heightened unemployment, isolation, and lack of access to vital resources.
The Chamber Holiday Food Drive supports the Montrose Center, a Houston non-profit organization that provides essential services to the LGBTQ+ community, and whose team creates the holiday boxes filled with food and other necessities that are distributed to LGBTQ+ seniors. Last year, the food drive raised the largest amount of food and money the Center has ever received. “If we don’t come together and support our own community, then who will?” Wallace asks.
Food and monetary donations to the drive help the Montrose Center to increase the number of meals provided in each holiday food box from 15 to 25; provide food for both the Montrose Center’s Outreach and COVID-19 pantries; and ensure the COVID-19 pantry can stay open throughout the remainder of the pandemic. Last year, the Montrose Center was able to fill multiple emergency pantries, and when Texas suffered from the February 2021 freeze, LGBTQ+ seniors living at the organization’s Law Harrington Senior Center had access to food. “We didn’t expect that, but this is what happens when a community shows up to make a difference to give all this food and donations,” Wallace says. “This is what can happen when we all come together.”
If you’re unable to drop off food on the day of the event, there’s also an option to make a financial donation through the Virtual Food Drive. Donations will help support food purchases for the holiday boxes, food pantry, and Montrose Center programs to help LGBTQ+ community members.
Wallace wants everyone to know that no donation to the drive is too small. Whether you’re able to donate one can or 50 cans, $1 or $100, you’re still helping the cause. Also, here’s a pro-tip: for any donation you make at the Eureka Heights drop-off, they’ll provide all donors with a $1 off coupon toward their first beer.
For more information on the Chamber Holiday Food Drive, visit houstonlgbtqchamberfoundation.org/food-drive.
