Workers from the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas spent part of Wednesday morning unloading a truck which contained macaroni and cheese. In fact, 40-thousand-pounds worth. The donation came from the Land O’Lakes company, courtesy of the company’s Winfield plant in Blytheville. Plant Manager Paul Vickerson.
“They certainly need the help here with this facility. I think that it was said the Food Bank is meeting about half the need and they need a lot more folks to step up to the plate and help out.”
CEO of the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas Christie Jordan tells KASU news the donation represents a small portion of the number of pounds of food that leave the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas’ warehouse every week. Weekly, just over 100,000 pounds of food goes to food pantries, soup kitchens, or shelters to help feed five thousand people each week in 12 counties. She says those numbers of people who are served have been pretty consistent every week.
“While we are very glad that we have not seen an increase in the numbers of people we are serving, there is not a marked decrease either. This is work that we continue to do as we provide food for those who are not able to provide for themselves.”
She says there is a high need for food during the holiday season.
“Just imagine during the holidays that you are not able to provide a meal for your family. That is why this donation is important because it will help provide meals and help brighten the holidays for families.”
The donation from Land O’Lakes is part of the company’s First Run Program to help in the fight against hunger.