The De Soto Food Pantry is getting quite the gift this holiday season.
Harps Hometown Fresh grocery store is giving nearly 1,000 pounds of ham to help local families in need.
The only grocery store in De Soto, Kansas, just opened its doors on November 9, and has already made its name in the city.
“It's just been overwhelming and you know being able to come into a community and be a part of a community is what Harps is all about so we really appreciate that," De Soto Food Pantry president, Lori Murdock said.
On Monday, the store announced the heavy donation of holiday ham to the De Soto Food Pantry.
“It is a tough time,” store manager, Johnny Chapman said. “There's a lot of pressure of people, go through the times and some people don't realize what some people have to go through.”
Murdock says the pantry, which opened in 2014, relies just on donations.
“We do get a lot of can goods, non-perishables, but we don't get things like meat very often so this is very nice to be able to help them at Christmas time,” she said.
Leaders of the food pantry say the donation comes at a critical time for the community.
“Being able to help people extra at the holidays, it's really important,” Murdock said. “And being able to get them a ham that we all know is a nice Christmas meal and that makes everybody feel good."
Leaders with the food pantry say all of the ham will be distributed to families over the course of two weeks, helping more than 300 people in De Soto.
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Rae Daniel can be reached at Rae.Daniel@KSHB.com.
