We Need Your Help!

When the National Guard arrived the first week in April, we were in very sad circumstances with our operations, let alone try to meet the increased need. Our staff in the building was down to almost half as several were working from home or were quarantined. We had 2 warehouse workers and 1 truck driver that were still able to come to work. Our office staff was very thin as well. Those who were here spent partial or full days packing food in the warehouse. Saturdays became mandatory for a while and although Sundays were optional, many were here as well.

At our lowest, we had 10 people out of the 22 we had before March, not including a full complement of daily volunteers. We had to eliminate volunteers in the building, so we were on our own to make it happen. When 30 soldiers arrived, who were here to focus on the labor of what it takes to get this work done, WOW! Our plans and results were immediately impacted.

Beginning in April, our food distribution jumped from 162,000 meals per week to 400,000 meals per week. We have maintained that level of food assistance in our 8 counties for the last 6 months. Going forward, we need to now fully engage all our communities to locate volunteers, both groups and individuals, who will once again come along side us to allow this effort to continue. You can register here through Givepulse. For questions, connect with us through Kellie Arrowood, our Volunteer Coordinator by email or at (765)-287-8698 ext. 100.

We are currently scheduling people in our warehouse Monday through Friday and at out Tailgate sites in every county. Safety protocols have been put into place that will allow for a safe environment. We need to secure volunteers to be able to continue our present level of food assistance. Since April, the need has not dropped, but has increased! In our Tailgate Distributions alone, we are reaching over 24,000 families every month. With your help, thousands of families will feel the impact of a caring community.