Good Friday Food Distribution

Over the last two weeks food from WalMart for Food Distribution has jumped phenomenally and this is mostly due to the addition of produce.  Good Friday we had two truck loads of food with 17 cases of bananas. The big challenge is to get it all unloaded, sorted, bagged (loose produce like green beans),organized, and distributed.

With good weather our numbers have also jumped back up.  This past week we have been at or near 60 households each day. We are seeing new faces each week. Once we see a new face we tend to continue to see them if not every time, quite often.

 I think there are several things that make this unique. First, there are no questions asked and we do try to ake as human as we can. I hand out the numbered tickets for line up and the most I ask is if people are in the same household.We have only one shopper per household to keep things as fair as possible. That's it. We have learned the first name of many of the shoppers and call them by name, ask after them if they are not there, and say we missed you when they show up again. I have one or two that share more with me, even to the point of calling my office.  The second thing is that a household can shop every time. Thirdly, we do it twice a week. Fourthly, people can actually "shop" for their food. We don't control what you get, just how much you can take. Fifth, we get the food and distribute it all within a one hour time frame.  Although people do wait a longer time than one hour--many come as early as 8:30 to be at the front of the line when we hand out tickets at 10 AM, they don't have to come any earlier than 10 AM.  Many people get their ticket and then leave to line up at about 10:45.  We try to keep the line moving as quickly as we can once we start at 11 and usually we are wrapping up in 20-30 minutes.

Although the addition of produce has created a challenge, its a challenge we all embrace. The quality of the food we provide is just as important as the quantity. Fresh produce is so very vital to the folks who shop with us.  Many are diabetic, many have heart conditions, some are vets from Viet Nam with multiple health issues, many are elderly.  Everyone needs good nutrition but these groups are particularly needy of better nutrition.

One of the most exciting moments for me Friday was a woman who asked whether we were going to do what we surveyed them about in the fall.  We had asked people if they would grow vegetables if we helped them. Over 80% said yes but they have no land. So, we are putting together a Food Self Sufficiency project using container gardening with soil, fertilizer,and seedlings.  Stay tuned for that project. We've applied to the Community Foundation of the NRV for some funding. More on that later.  In the mean time thank you WalMart and keep that produce coming.