Large monthly drive-thru food pantries hosted by the Food Bank of Delaware will end soon.
During the COVID pandemic, the Food Bank of Delaware handed out just shy of three million pounds of food at monthly drive-thru food pantries, which currently are continuing.
And Food Bank communications director Kim Turner says those drive-thru food pantries will continue through the end of this year to help food-insecure Delawareans.
But next year, she says they will move to a quarterly schedule.
“The quarterly distributions will, we’re hoping will, line up close to holidays," said Turner. "So a Thanksgiving large distribution and a distribution close to the Easter holiday.”
Turner adds the Food Bank hosts small, community-based mobile pantries five to six days a week in churches, community parks and neighborhoods, “
"We want people to know that the Food Bank of Delaware is out in the community every day distributing food, not just during these (planned) large quarterly distributions," she said, "We know that some people travel from all parts of the counties in which they live to get to the distributions. At the height of the pandemic the monthly distribution were very needed as a lot of smaller community food pantries had closed their doors.”
And she notes that many of the smaller community food pantries up and down the First State that closed during the pandemic are re-opening to assist those facing food insecurity.
The Food Bank’s monthly drive-thru food pantries will continue next week: Monday in Georgetown, Wednesday in Dover and Friday in Newark.
And Turner reminds food-insecure Delawareans they they can have food delivered directly in some areas through the Food Bank’s Home Delivery Program and partnerships with Door Dash and Amazon.
