Escambia County Jail Staff Deliver Thanksgiving Food for Families in Need

After hearing about empty shelves at a local food bank, Escambia County Jail staff members collected Thanksgiving turkeys and other food items for families in need, delivering the items Wednesday, Nov. 22 to Epps Christian Center on Pace Boulevard. 

Jail staff collected nine boxes of food and seven turkeys for the center over about a 10-day period, which will be distributed to local homeless and families in need. 

Escambia County Jail Lt. Jason Walker, who helped coordinate the food drive along with other jail command staff, said he's glad to be able to help people in the community this Thanksgiving. 

"We wanted to let the community know that the staff working inside the Escambia County Jail care about their fellow man," Walker said. "We are a diverse group of employees here, and we care about the community as a whole. Seeing that there was a need close by, we wanted to assist with that need."

Epps Christian Center's food pantry gives out hundreds of pounds of food each month to the inner city poor and homeless, along with offering free Thanksgiving and Christmas meals annually. 

"The staff at the jail did a great job organizing the food drive," Escambia County Corrections Director Tammy Jarvis said. "The holiday season is an especially difficult time for those in need, and it meant a lot to the staff at the jail to help make the holiday more enjoyable by donating food items to the Epps Christian Center."