Hundreds of Selma area residents got some much needed help from the Alabama National Guard, the Dallas County EMA and the Black Belt American Red Cross (ARC) when 21,000 Meals – Ready to Eat were distributed around Selma.

People lined up in the Food World parking lot, ready to get MRE’s and other items from the EMA and ARC.

The supplies were brought in by the EMA as an effort to help needy families who

lost their food in the power outage and can’t afford to replace it.

The Black Belt ARC distributed several pallets of water, MRE’s and snack foods all over the county.

“(The MRE’s) are for those that don’t have any money can’t go out to the grocery store,” EMA Director Brett Howard said.

Two area residents, Doris Cain and her sister Betty Harris, are both senior citizens who live on fixed incomes. They came to the giveaway hoping to get by for the next few days.

“We lost everything we had in our freezer and our fridge,” Cain said.

“I lost everything I had,” Harris said.

Though they were hard hit by the storm, the women promise to overcome the adversity.

“We’re going to survive, we’re survivors,” Cain said.

Howard has tried unsuccessfully for days to get the state Department of Human Resources to issue food vouchers to needy families, specifically those already on EBT “food stamp” programs.

“I wouldn’t distribute MREs if I could get vouchers,” he said.

He noted that in nine days the EBT cards would be renewed, but that he couldn’t afford to feed the needy families of Dallas County for the next nine days.

Still, he and the ARC will do the best they can. There will be more MREs to distribute tomorrow.

The ARC is soliciting volunteers to help out during the recovery process.

To volunteer with the ARC call 874-4641.

Howard urges those who don’t need the meals to not go out and get them.

“It’s not for those who just want something free,” he said. “That’s taking away from those that really need it.”