Harry Chapin Food Bank and the Coronavirus

Harry Chapin Food Bank and the Coronavirus 900 585 Harry Chapin Food Bank

Friday, May 22, 2020

Your food bank’s new normal involves complex logistics for food redistribution and an astronomical need for food throughout our five-county footprint. This week alone, we received 546,303 pounds of purchased food. We rescued 179,936 pounds of food from our food retail partners. We distributed a total of 831,644 pounds of food into our community, which is 693,036 meals.

The volume of food that your food bank is managing demand additional resources. To assist in the logistical capacity, we have rented four trucks and hired temporary drivers. We are experiencing a 20 percent increase in mileage on our truck fleet. In our warehouses, we have had to purchase additional pallet jacks to assist in the food handling. Space in the warehouse remains at an unprecedented density as we do our best to move thousands of pounds of food every day.

It is heartbreaking to know that all this effort is exactly what is needed to feed those who are hungry. The increased demand for food has prompted your food bank to add an additional drive-thru distribution to our schedule. The criteria for selecting the newest location was based on location and capacity to handle car lines. Beginning next Saturday, we will be distributing at the Alico Arena on FGCU Lake Pkwy E. in Fort Myers. If you need food, please click here to find the closest distribution.

At the core of our operations, one will find our dedicated volunteers. This week alone, these change agents sorted through a little over 200,000 pounds of fresh produce. They built and distributed over 6,000 food kits at our drive-thru distributions. They all wear masks that other volunteers have lovingly made for the food bank to use. If you are well, able, and willing to give your time, please sign up here.

Coretta Scott King once said, “the greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” Your food bank gratefully acknowledges that our community indeed is great. We are humbled that your support has afforded us the ability to complete two months of drive-thru distributions. We are ever mindful that we are in a marathon and not a sprint. Together, we are ensuring that no one has to go hungry.

To support our efforts, please click here.