Harvesters—The Community Food Network will hold a free mobile food distribution in Wyandotte County at the site of the former Indian Springs mall, 4601 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 30.
The distribution will provide food to feed 1,200 households and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until all food has been distributed. Each household will receive a box of nonperishable items, a box of fresh produce and some frozen meat items.
Residents have been posting on social media that they planned to get to the food distribution site by 7 a.m. or earlier.
The distribution is designed for residents of Wyandotte County and is held in cooperation with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County. Kansas City, Kansas. Police will help direct traffic.
Wyandotte County residents should enter the distribution site off of 38th and State Avenue, head south to Orville Avenue and follow that west to the former mall parking lot. Volunteers wearing masks and gloves will load food into cars.
Harvesters normally distributes food through its network of partner agencies, but is holding this mobile distribution to help ease the burden on its network trying to meet the tremendous increase in demand for food assistance as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our agencies are seeing anywhere from 30 to 40 percent more people seeking assistance,” Valerie Nicholson-Watson, Harvesters’ president and CEO, said. “We’re committed to feeding hungry families and seniors in our community. We currently have an abundance of fresh produce that needs to be distributed quickly, and we know there are so many who are in need of immediate help.”
“COVID-19 continues to challenge the health and financial well-being of our community,” Mayor-CEO David Alvey said. “Not only do our residents face the risk of infection, but many lack the financial resources to pay for food, rent, and utilities. The assistance offered by Harvesters will help many of our most vulnerable to put food on the table, and we are deeply grateful.”
Part of the food distributed at this mobile site includes food items received through the USDA’s disaster food program for COVID-19. Additional food from this USDA program is being distributed through Harvesters’ regular network of food pantries and mobile distributions.
A Harvesters spokesman said that she hoped that the Harvesters food distribution this week can help fill the gap for families who might have received food from the Kansas City, Kansas, school district, which has canceled this week’s school lunch program because of illness.
Financial donations are really critical now, the spokesman stated.
More mobile distributions will be added as needed, according to Harvesters. Plans are underway to hold an additional large food distribution in Jackson County, Missouri, in early May. Additional details will be announced soon.
Anyone who needs food assistance throughout Harvesters’ 26-county service area can find a food pantry, food kitchen or mobile food distribution near their home by entering their zip code in the agency locator on the “Get Help” page of Harvesters’ website: www.harvesters.org.
I think it’s great that this is being done in Wyandotte County. I would like to know more about how to volunteer and/or donate individually or collectively through an organization. Thank you for your efforts it is truly a blessing!
For information, see https://www.harvesters.org/.
Is this for only one day?
When it was announced, it was just for one time. Check the food assistance on the Harvesters website at https://www.harvesters.org/Get-Help/Service-Locator and see if there is another location close by.