The Food Bank of Delaware is hosting another round of mass drive-thru pantries for Delawareans struggling to afford food.
Delaware’s Food Bank is seeing a massive increase in food insecure people throughout the First State. The organization estimates an additional 50,000 Delawareans have become food insecure because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Food Bank has hosted drive-through pantries every month during the pandemic except for July and served over 17,000 people.
Kim Turner is the Food Bank’s communications director. She says she’s seen a decrease in the amount of food given out in the past couple months. But with the extra 600 dollars a weekin unemployment benefits no longer available, her group has been preparing for a surge in demand.
“We’ve been saying all along that if that benefit does end we would expect that numbers would continue to increase as they did back in March and April.”
Turner says the organization is grateful they nearly doubled their warehouse space April of last year before the pandemic struck.
“If we were still in our old facility we would be in serious trouble. We would not have been able to accept the additional truckloads from the USDA. We would not be able to accept additional truckloads of just donations in general, because we didn’t have the space. So we really did move at a good time.”
Turner says the Food Bank is already on track to surpass the amount of food delivered last year before the end of this summer.
The mobile pantries will be held in each county this week—Georgetown on Monday, Newark on Wednesday and Dover on Friday. Turner says distribution will start at 11am, and she recommends that those seeking assistance register beforehand on the Food Bank’s website.
The pantries will have enough food to serve everyone, but it’s easier to anticipate how much is needed upfront if people register ahead of time.
Recipients just need to bring an ID and proof of Delaware residence.
