750 people were pre-registered to receive a free 30 pound box filled with food and other donated goods.
"Somebody cares and I appreciate it and I'm thanking God everyday cause we're going to be able to eat," Nadine Shawwell of Wilmington said.
People from all walks of life showed up for today's giveaway for many, being on the receiving end was a first.
"I never dreamed I would be in one of these lines because of the way I was raised with my parents. It was 7 of us and we never went a day without food. To have to come down here, it's like the pride inside you has been taken away," Mary Hamlin said.
Senior citizens and others on fixed incomes weren't the only ones in line today.
"It's a lot of hungry people out here. The economy is terrible and we're all affected by it, even people with higher incomes," Elliot McNeil said.
"Myself, I have a very large family. I take care of 6 grandchildren and it's kind of hard at times. It really is," Madelyn Harris said.
This is the first time the Food Bank of Delaware has held a giveaway of this magnitude on Rodney Square, and organizers say picking this location in the center of downtown Wilmington was intentional
With a 25-percent increase in demand, the Food Bank of Delaware hopes corporate America sees the faces of hungry people who don't live in third world countries.
"It's pretty much a way for them to come out of their offices and see that hunger does exist here in Delaware and in order to end it we need the business community's support," Kim Kostes of the Food Bank of Delaware said.
D'Ambrosia Bakery lent its support by donating 800 loaves of bread.
"This is our way of giving back to the community that has supported us in so many ways over the years," Tasha Wiehe of Gatehouse Ventures said.
The Food Bank is hoping more donors pitch in because with the economy taking a rollercoaster ride more people are expected to be in need.
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