Mobile Pantry hits the road bringing fresh foods to Delawareans in need

May 30, 2018

The Food Bank of Delaware’s mobile pantry travels up and down the state bringing fresh and nonperishable foods to Delawareans in need.

Last week the mobile pantry visited Main Towers, a senior living community in the heart of downtown Newark. When you think of Main Street, Newark, most think of a bustling college town and a dining and shopping destination. Despite prosperity, not all of the city’s residents are living comfortably.

Many of the senior residents of Main Towers located on Main Street are living on extremely limited incomes. Oftentimes they must choose between buying food and medicines. A visit from the mobile pantry is truly a blessing and frees up money in their limited budgets for other living expenses.

Mobile pantry driver Frank “Fresh” Coverdale pulled up in his food pantry on wheels on Wednesday, May 25. Dawning his signature cut-off tie-dye t-shirt and bucket hat, Fresh instructed volunteers to fill tables with a variety of  nonperishable foods. In addition to a 30-pound meal box of staples, seniors had the opportunity to select an additional 20-30 pounds of food best suited for their household. Everyone also left with a whole oven roaster chicken donated by Perdue, eggs, baked goods, raisins, dried blueberries, juice and mangoes!

Main Towers resident Kathy said she likes picking the foods to fit her individual tastes. In addition to the mobile pantry, she also participates in the Untied States Department of Agriculture’s Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) at Main Towers. Through CSFP, Kathy and other seniors receive a free box of food staples each month.

She said, the program “changed my life completely, especially money wise.” The program provides her food to eat, especially at the end of the month.

Other seniors agreed that picking out the foods at the mobile pantry was important. One senior noted she was on a diet as she carefully examined food labels as she shopped the tables.

Margaret said she is thankful for these programs and would need to depend on her family more if it wasn’t for the Food Bank. “$15 in food stamps doesn’t go far,” she said. “Everything keeps going up. I wish the congressmen would live on $15/month.”

She tries to stretch her budget by shopping at the dollar store and supplementing with the mobile pantry when it visits and the monthly CSFP box.

On this particular visit more than 30 seniors benefitted from the mobile pantry. They all left with full carts and smiles, and the team of volunteers, including several Food Bank staff, left with full hearts knowing they made a difference.

To learn more about the mobile pantry, please click here.

Thank you to the following funders for making the program possible this year:

Bank of America
Capital One
Delmarva Power
Palmer Home Foundation
TD Bank
City of Newark

 

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