HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — We know hunger never stops. One local food bank has stepped up to feed the need, especially during the pandemic.
Our WZDX News reporter gives us a behind the scenes look at the day-to-day operations from the Food Bank of North Alabama.
"We've got somebody going out to collect food Monday through Friday from at least some stores. And other times we're working with our partner groups, our feeding partners to schedule pick-ups directly," says Food Bank of North Alabama Development Director, Bobby Bozeman.
From produce to canned goods, the main branch of The Food Bank of North Alabama takes on an almost daily operation.
"Most of the food we have comes from our store rescue program. So, we send our drivers out and our trucks out to various grocery stores and our partners like Wal-Mart, Target, Aldi," says Bozeman.
Bozeman says here's how they get the food. "It's either promotions that have expired, but the food hasn't. Or sometimes you order ten palettes of green beans and you get eleven," he says.
"The majority of the ways we get food out is by taking the large amounts of donations that we get, and distributing them to over 260 feeding partner agencies," added Bozeman.
However, COVID has changed how food is distributed to recipients. "Agencies will make an appointment, and come to us. And because of COVID, they're not coming into the warehouse. They're calling ahead or they're letting us know what they need. We're putting together palettes and we're putting them directly into their vehicles," he says.
The Food Bank of North Alabama says since the start of the pandemic they've given out about about a million pounds of food per month. They say they also have an annex in the city of Madison, and a branch in the Shoals area.
"Most of our agencies are working on volunteer labor. So, that's almost a full's day work - just to come and sort your food, not to mention, then going around and trying to meet your mission. So, because we have that branch in the Shoals, in Florence, those people can then just go just right there. So what was a two hour trip is now maybe a thirty minute or fifteen minute trip," says Bozeman.
The food bank increased its mobile pantry for people in certain communities who are struggling.
"We did mobile pantries in Albertville, Fort Payne, Decatur, obviously Huntsville; all throughout our coverage area to help mitigate that," says Bozeman.