La Cosecha food distribution steps up to serve east Tulsa

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — The line to get to La Cosecha leads out the parking lot and down 41st Street.

Co-founder Rita Gallardo says people line up two hours before the giveaway starts.

“The line is over a mile long and that’s every Thursday, that doesn’t change," said Gallardo.

Typically they hold it on Thursdays but they moved it up for the holidays.

They added toys to their food giveaway and the Tulsa Police Department came to help out.

It was quite something for kids like Lindsey.

“They usually give some fruits or vegetables, the thing I like so much about here is they give some watermelon," said Lindsey.

For some, they’ve been coming here since March of 2020 – others like Michael Smith just started coming here.

“Well, I probably wouldn’t have a Christmas dinner without it to be honest with ya, I mean it’s really gotten difficult for me," said Smith.

La Cosecha started small and has grown with the pandemic – meeting the demand of the community in east Tulsa.

Along the way they’ve become friends with the people they serve.

“It’s very rewarding to hear how grateful they are for what we do and we were up till two months ago 100% volunteer operation and yeah they’re definitely very grateful especially as the need keeps increasing through COVID," said Gallardo.

Gallardo says they receive most of their food through community organizations and grants.

To donate click here, select give now and scroll down to La Cosecha.