PONCA – After the mobile food pantry was in Wayne this past weekend, another northeast Nebraska community will benefit from emergency food assistance.
According to a release from the Food Bank for the Heartland, individuals and families in farming communities continue to struggle with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Food Bank for the Heartland has teamed up with Farm Credit Services of America and are both committed to helping those in need in rural areas.
A free drive-up mobile food pantry will be held in Ponca on Tuesday, September 29 from 4 until 6 p.m. The mobile food pantry will take place at the Christ the King Community Church located at 121 North Iowa Street in Ponca.
Items available will be 72 community packs. These include 28-pound prepackaged boxes filled with a variety of nonperishable staple items like peanut butter, rice, beans, canned fruits and vegetables, among others. Boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program and sliced bread will also be offered.
Volunteers are assembling the community packs at Food Bank for the Heartland. They are practicing social distancing in the volunteer center, and, as always, they are washing their hands and following food safety guidelines. The mobile pantry is for people living in Dixon County and surrounding communities. No identification is required to receive food as FCSAmerica is funding the mobile pantry.
A drive-up distribution method is being used in Ponca to prioritize the health and safety of the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals and families coming to the mobile pantry should stay in their vehicles. Local volunteers will help direct traffic and load the food for them.
Food Bank for the Heartland’s Mobile Pantry program delivers food directly to communities that have a high need but limited food resources.
From March 15 to August 31, 2020, Food Bank for the Heartland distributed 12,271,041 meals to children, families and seniors in the Heartland facing hunger and 16,358,599 meals when including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This is a 71% percent increase over the average number of meals distributed during the same period in 2018 and 2019.