Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First

Food Bank for the Heartland targets rural food insecurity - mobile food bank to be in Harrisburg

In an effort to address food insecurity in the Panhandle, the Food Bank for the Heartland will host a mobile food pantry in Harrisburg on Friday, Dec. 1.

According to a recent news release, the mobile pantry will be at the Good Shepard of the Plains Episcopal Church, located at 125 Maryland in Harrisburg, from 5 - 7 p.m, with 4,000 to 5,000 pounds of food for free distribution for those in Banner County and the surrounding communities.

“Imagine the anxiety of not having the resources to feed your children or yourself,” said Susan Ogborn, president and CEO of Food Bank for the Heartland. “Our mobile pantry program helps alleviate this stress for food insecure families. This is the Food Bank’s second mobile pantry in Banner County.”

Results of a study supported by the Conagra Brands Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the Nielsen Company show approximately 13 percent, or 110 people, in Banner County are at-risk for hunger, according to the news release. Map the Meal Gap 2017 is a study from Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization, which provides data on a county level. Of the more than 1.8 million people living in the 93 counties served by Food Bank for the Heartland, there are approximately 213,840 struggling with hunger according to study results.

Participants are encouraged to bring bags and boxes to assist in carrying their food, which will include staple items such as pasta, sauces, cereal and other shelf stable items, as well as, perishable items such as, fresh produce and bakery foods.