Food pantries run by nonprofits, churches, schools and other groups are often all that stands between a poor family and going hungry. But what if a family is struggling so much that they can’t find transportation needed to reach a food pantry?
To alleviate this problem, the Salvation Army in High Point, N.C., started operating a mobile food pantry this month.
High Point Salvation Army social services director Tashina Oladunjoye explains the need for the service to Sarah Krueger of Fox 8: “We have individuals in low income apartments that are in dry, food desert areas. These are individuals who cannot get out to pantries. Who cannot get out to their local grocery stores because of transportation, money in general.”
Each week, the mobile food pantry visits two different apartment complexes, reaching eight different locations in total before returning the first so that the needy in each building receives food once a month. Oladunjoye aims to add a refrigerated truck to the program within six months so that she can provide fresh produce to the families.
Darlene Graves, a single mother who received food from the truck, tells Krueger, “I thank God for the program and I thank God for the Salvation Army. It’s going to help me feed my family another day.”
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How the Internet Can Make Food Drives Better
This winter, the food drive at the Bayonne Economic Opportunity Foundation in New Jersey is doing more than just collecting cans outside local grocery stores. Thanks to a new company, they’re reaching out online to get fresh fruits and vegetables and other healthy food before it spoils. YouGiveGoods is a for-profit company that enables churches, food pantries, and other charitable groups to request the items they really need, while making donating as easy as ordering from Amazon. The efficiency of online ordering makes a wide range of foods available to donate.