In a typical year, Gleaners’ donors support 228 mobile pantry distributions in 13 counties. As businesses closed and stay-at-home orders were implemented, many of our reliable agency partners found themselves struggling to find volunteers to keep their pantries open. School closures reduced our distribution outlets by 50%.
“Food pantries typically rely on an older volunteer base,” said Sloan Shockley, Regional Hunger Relief Manager. “The same people who run these pantries were being told they were at high risk for COVID and to stay home.”
As we pivoted to drive-through distributions with pre-packed emergency boxes of nutritious food, the same switch needed to be made in our mobile pantries. With schools and agencies closing or reducing hours, mobile pantries needed to be scheduled throughout our 21-county service area.
Since March 11, nearly 200 mobile pantries have been held. Gleaners trucks have rolled into communities, parking on town squares, at National Guard armories, at schools, on airport tarmacs, at county fairgrounds, and anywhere else that could accommodate large numbers of cars in line to receive food.
The men and women of the Indiana National Guard have been tireless partners in this effort, traveling with our staff and trucks, working in heat, cold, rain, and never canceling a distribution. As a result, nearly 34,000 emergency food boxes have been distributed, along with a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, milk, eggs, and dairy items.
Gina from Connersville wrote to us on Facebook after visiting a mobile pantry on the Connersville square. “I’m sitting here tonight eating fajitas I cooked from the variety of food I received at the mobile pantry today. Thank you for coming here and taking care of us. I wasn’t sure what I was going to feed my kids tonight.”