ALBERTVILLE, Ala. — The Food Bank of North Alabama hosted a mobile food pantry in Albertville, the first of three they will do over the course of the summer. Today’s giveaway was made possible by a grant from Tyson Foods, the multinational meat processor. Food Bank COO Joshua Matthews said the funds allow them to increase the frequency of mobile pantries.
“We had been coming about every-other month, now we’re able to be here for the next three months in a row because of the generous grant from Tyson,” he said.
Tyson, the multinational food processor, donated $25,000 and thousands of pounds of chicken to the Food Bank for this month's distribution. Matthews said adding chicken was a crucial piece to the bundle, which normally consists of dry products like pasta, nonperishables like soup or “staple items” like peanut butter.
“We're always trying to find ways to help people get that kind of center of the plate protein," he said. "Oftentimes we find that that's the most expensive item you're going to purchase for dinner for a family.”
Matthews added that the Food Bank relies primarily on donations, so each giveaway box might have different items, depending on what they have in stock. Tyson's monetary and stock donations help vary their offerings.
Today's distributions will help at least 500 families in Marshall County. The location of the Sand Mountain Amphitheater was intentional for outreach as well as logistical purposes, said Matthews. Recalling a Feeding America study done last year, Matthews said “About 165,000 people in the North Alabama area are struggling with food insecurity."
"That means that they're not sure where their next meal is coming from," he said. "So that runs the gamut from families with children, to seniors that are on a fixed income ... a lot of different folks.”
With the Food Bank's location in Huntsville, Matthews emphasized their effort to bring their mobile pantries to other locations in the Tennessee Valley. Dates and times haven’t been set for the July and August giveaways, but Matthews confirmed they’ll be back at Sand Mountain Amphitheater.
For more information, visit: Food Bank of North Alabama's Facebook page.