MOBILE FOOD PANTRY

M o b i l e F o o d P a n t r y

BRINGING FRESH FOOD TO THOSE IN NEED

By D.M. Herra

On a sunny Saturday,a1 4- foot box truck was parked in front of the Kingston Friendship Center. Three people stood behind the truck, placing boxes of groceries on long folding tables. One smiled behind his cloth mask as a person approached.

“Hi!” he said. “Do you need some food?”

The covid-19 pandemic has changed the way the DeKalb County Community Gardens operate, but it has not stopped the Grow Mobile mobile food pantry from making its rounds.

The Grow Mobile is a 1 4-foot refrigerated truck that carries fresh produce and other grocery items to communities throughout DeKalb County. It was started two years ago with a patchwork of state and local grants. Its goal is to supplement the work of local food pantries and bring food directly to the people who need it.

“Originally, the idea was that it would become a sort of traveling health oasis,” Community Gardens Executive Director Dan Kenney said. “Other organizations partner with us at the food distribution to offer information and other services.”

The DeKalb County Health Department has set up mobile flu shot clinics at Grow Mobile stops, Kenney said. Other times, the Regional Office of Education has come along to distribute diapers, baby wipes and information about child development and early literacy.

But there’s no question that the Grow Mobile is the big draw. Over the past two years, it has distributed more than half a million pounds of food. The economic toll of covid-199 has brought a surge of new clients to its stops.

“Many of our clients have always had jobs and never expected to find themselves in this position,” Community Gardens Assistant Director Heather Edwards said.

In response to the growing need, th e Grow Mobile increased its number

of distribution days. Concerns about sanitation and social distancing meant changing the method of food distribution on the fly. Clients used to select the items they wanted, much like a grocery store, Edwards said. Now, volunteers pack grocery boxes in advance and clients take home the whole box.

This year, Kenney said, the number of people using the Grow Mobile has doubled or even tripled in some areas. In Sandwich, for example, Kenney said the Grow Mobile typically saw fewer than 50 clients last year. Early in the pandemic, volunteers thought they should plan for increased need and took 75 boxes of food to the Sandwich stop.

More than 1 00 people showed up. Kenney said it was the only time the Grow Mobile has ever run out of food.

“The volunteers running that distribution took the names and numbers of everybody who did not get boxes and we delivered boxes to their homes,” Kenney said. “That was the only time we ran out, though we’ve come close a couple of times.”

The Grow Mobile has been known to make house calls, Kenney said, to vulnerable people unable to venture from their homes to visit a food pantry. Some people reach out directly to ask for help; others are referred by organizations like the

Voluntary Action Center and Elder Care Services. The DeKalb County Housing Authority has delivered hundreds of Community Gardens boxes to the apartments of elderly and disabled residents.

The early end to the e school year meant all of the school gardens that supply DeKalb County Community Gardens closed. The rest of the community gardens are still operational, Kenney said, though gardeners are restricted to no more than two at a time, wearin ng masks and staying at least t six feet apart. Plans to sta rt new gardens in the south end of the county have been een put on hold.

Nonetheless, Kenney said, there has been no impact on the amount of produce available through the Community Gardens. Klein’s Quality Produce in Burlington has partnered with the organization to augment the harvest from the garden plots. Talks to pay DeKalb County farmers a fair price to grow food for local pantries are in the early stages, Kenney said.

He also hopes backyard gardeners will consider sharing some of their bounty with their neighbors in need. Donating surplus tomatoes, zucchini and other produce to the DeKalb County Community Gardens ensures the food won’t go to waste.

People who don’t garden but still want to help can make financial donations through the Community Gardens’ website, www.dekalbgardens.org. Volunteer opportunities such as packing boxes and stocking shelves can also be found on the website.

People who need food or have questions for the Community Gardens can send a message through the website, Kenney said. The Community Gardens can be reached by phone at 779-212-9543.

KNOW MORE

For information about DeKalb County Community Gardens, how to get food, or how to help, visit www.dekalbgardens.org.

To know when the Grow Mobile mobile food pantry will be in your community, visit www.dekalbgardens.org/foodneeds/, follow DeKalb County Community Gardens on Facebook or call 211.