Tarence Wheeler Closes The Gap Food is Vital for Success

There are a plethora of gaps that exist among the people in America. The wealth gap is what's spoken of on the front line, but it's only the tip of the iceberg; or just another block in the stack. Wealth does not come easy. It's either built or passed down.

In certain areas of our country, there is no wealth to pass down, because there is no wealth to start with. Imagine playing a game of Monopoly, only to start with no cash, and hardly getting a turn at the dice. Tarence Wheeler has played the game this way. Growing up in Southwest Detroit, he is not a stranger to an experience of poverty. Wheeler knows what it's like to grow up with a limited supply of food in the household.

America's food disparity is an unspoken, yet obvious gap that exists in our society. The entire mental tower comes crashing down when the block of food is taken out. A properly nourished body, fuels a hard working mind. In college I worked and attended classes more than I made time to eat. I remember feeling lethargic, undriven and sleepy. I can guarantee that if I scheduled more time to eat before classes my grades would have been a lot better.

This was a choice I made as a twenty, and twenty-one year old young man with no children. Not the best choice, but only one person was affected by it. As Director of Corporate and Community Affairs for the district of River Rouge, Tarence Wheeler interacts with adults who did not have the same luxury I had. These people have to go to work, and have children to feed once they're off the clock. The adults need fuel to start a good work day, and the children need it to function at school. If not, the cycle will be dangerously close to repeating.

Another sad branch of America's reality is that some students can only eat at school. The current Corona virus pandemic has shut down a lot of face to face learning. This results in some students having to look in other places for their meals.

There are too many reasons that are deemed as normal when food in the inner-cities are brought up.

Wheeler got into action as fast as he could to fight this need. Every Wednesday, since March of last year, the combined efforts of River Rouge Superintendent Derrick Coleman, and Principal Nichole German, Tarence Wheeler initiated a mobile food pantry that operates out of Ann Visger Preparatory Academy. The mobile food pantry evolved from a prior program of Wheelers; We Love You Fridays. This program would deliver chicken, pizza, and other goodies to the high school seniors. During this program, Wheeler observed something that he wasn't expecting; a greater need.

Through rain, sleet, snow, and heat, the Mobile Food Pantry has served over 600,000 meals across the community. Lines are normally wrapped around the block, and the food is given out until there is no more to offer Volunteers are there to help stage the parking lot, pass out food and provide a smile and conversation to people stopping by to get food to feed their families..

Tarence Wheeler states that. "There was a pandemic of poverty way before the Corona virus, especially in communities like this. The school district stepped up, because it's our people who are weary and burned from balancing the different pandemics around them."

Catastrophe prevention is the main function of the machine Wheeler is building. "This isn't about me, I'm just the vessel being used to organize it. It's bigger than me." Wheeler says. "The end goal is to feed families, raise household morale, end hunger, eradicate poverty, and bring resources to a community that does not have them."

The food is given out on Wednesdays at Ann Visger School Jefferson Ave. in River Rouge. The distribution time is from 1:00pm until all the food has been distributed

There are food give aways happening throughout the Downriver community. Some of the sponsors of the food giveaways are Forgotten Harvest and Gleaners.