Harvesters, Catholic Charities announce they will hold mobile food pantry at KCKCC-TEC on Saturday

Harvesters food bank has announced a new mobile food pantry site Saturday to be at the Kansas City Kansas Community College Technical Center parking lot, 6565 State Ave., Kansas City, Kan.

Last Saturday, a mobile food truck did not go to another site at CrossRoads Family Church, 8822 Parallel Parkway, after the Unified Government notified Harvesters that there could be traffic problems.

Today’s announcement from Harvesters states that the mobile food pantry will be sponsored by Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas, a member agency of Harvesters, at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at KCKCC-TEC, 6565 State Ave. This event usually lasts a couple of hours.

The mobile food pantry will take place in the parking lot of the KCKCC-TEC.

The new location for the mobile food pantry is about 3.6 miles to the southeast of the CrossRoads Church.

The program’s sponsor at CrossRoads Church, Janice Witt, said yesterday she would no longer be involved with the mobile food pantry effort after the UG wrote a letter about traffic problems to Harvesters food bank. She disagreed that there were traffic problems.

She said this experience now is giving her the motivation to run for public office, the UG commissioner at large, 1st District position. She also said she was glad she had the opportunity to raise awareness that there are people in Kansas City, Kan., and western Kansas City, Kan., who are hungry.

According to Harvesters, volunteers from Catholic Charities and Harvesters will be on hand to distribute food to Wyandotte County residents in need of assistance. Catholic Charities will hold a mobile food pantry at this location on the second and third Saturdays of the month through December.

In Wyandotte County, one in five people are food insecure and at risk of missing a meal, according to Harvesters. Each month, Harvesters’ 65 member agencies in Wyandotte County provide food to more than 13,000 different people.

With the onset of cold temperatures, providing food assistance is especially important, according to Harvesters. Half of the households receiving food from Harvesters are working families, making difficult choices between paying for basics such as rent or utilities and buying groceries.