TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- Organizations teamed up to give away free produce and milk to families on Wednesday to help them during the pandemic.

Joy was in the hot, summer air on Wednesday as families received boxes of free food and half-gallons of milk.

The Family Resource Center of North Mississippi and local sponsors teamed up to help area families in their time of need,

Two lines of cars were stretched about a half-mile out in the Tupelo Furniture Market’s parking lot.

The lines were the first sign to passerbys that something big was happening.

The Family Resource Center of North Mississippi and partners gave out free food to anyone who came by. Tupelo police were also there to help.

Milk and produce were the items given away for this food drive, the kick-off food drive of many to come, according to organizers. To Tupelo resident Hattie Morris, this food giveaway means a lot.

"I think it's really nice that they're doing this for the community,” Morris said. “We just have a really big family, and we’re really all gonna appreciate that.”

“We really appreciate it, and we bless everybody,” Morris said.

Other people including Segrid Luna, who just moved to Tupelo from Missouri a few months ago, benefited from the food drive as well. She’s not entirely comfortable going into stores just yet.

“It’s scary getting out there, you know, every time you go somewhere,” Luna said.

She says not everyone in the grocery store wears masks, and the food drive is allowing her to keep herself safe. She also said the drive is helping her financially.

Juli Palmer, is a director for The Family Resource Center. She said so many people came out.

“The turnout has really been overwhelming.”

She added getting to do this is humbling.

“It gives you uh, kind of a reality check of what COVID really is doing.”

Palmer said she is grateful to all of the sponsors and to Tupelo Furniture Market for allowing them to have the food drive in its parking lot.

Adie Spann said she is picking up a box of food for her disabled brother. To those providing the food, she said she is grateful.

“Keep up the good work,” Spann said.

Eddie Begonia is one of the people who loaded food into people’s cars. He said this is a great way to help others.

“This pandemic, a lot of families are just out of money, out of food,” Begonia said. “It means a lot for us to be able to provide that to the families and our community.”

Organizers said they plan to have the food drive on every Wednesday until the end of December. They said the drives should last from 4:00 PM until 6:00 PM while supplies last.