Neighbors Helping Neighbors

April 27, 2020

The COVID-19 crisis has been difficult for all of us, but in the face of adversity, we have seen firsthand the power of neighbors helping neighbors and the good that can come from working together. Last week,  hope was on full display as we worked side by side (socially distanced, of course) with our community partners to make sure our neighbors in need had access to nutritious food.

The week marked our second round of mass drive-thru distributions to help families impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Our first round of drive-thru distributions took place in mid-March and since then we have learned a lot about running an efficient drive-thru distribution.

We think we have finally nailed the necessary components of a successful off-site mass distribution. They are:

  1. A dedicated team at the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) who were fully on board to plan and manage traffic, plus provide needed equipment to offload Food Bank trucks quickly. DelDOT was simply amazing! We could not have done these distributions without them! Thanks to their traffic management planning and coordination, we were able to distribute food to 1,600-2,200 households in less than four hours!
  2. The support of the Delaware State Police
  3. 8-10 food lines for easy loading. Loading lines were set up with a variety of foods including milk, eggs, frozen meat, canned goods, fruit and more.
  4. Wonderful volunteers, including the Delaware National Guard. Over 100 volunteers were utilized at each distribution to ensure a smooth operation. We are so thankful for each and every volunteer who assisted us. We know the families served were grateful, too.

Together, we distributed 279,229 pounds of food to 5,935 households in three days!

Over the past several days we have heard from many thankful Delawareans. During these difficult times, one thing remains constant – the Food Bank of Delaware is here to serve!

Thank you to our partners who made the week possible!

    • Delaware Department of Transportation
    • Delaware National Guard
    • Delaware State Police
    • Delaware Department of Health and Social Services
    • United Way of Delaware
    • Delaware VOAD
    • U.S. Senator Chris Coons
    • Attorney General Kathy Jennings and the Delaware Department of Justice
    • Delaware State Auditor Kathy McGuinness
    • State Treasurer Colleen Davis
    • Senator Brian Pettyjohn
    • Senator Ruth Briggs King
    • Indian River School District and Sussex Central High School
    • Delaware Capitol Police
    • Senator Ernie Lopez
    • Rehoboth Outback Steakhouse
    • Lefty’s Alley and Eats
    • Dover International Speedway
    • Chick-fil-A North Dover
    • Dover Outback Steakhouse
    • YMCA of Delaware
    • Representative Lyndon Yearick
    • Senator Trey Paradee
    • Kent County Levy Court Commissioner Jody Sweeney
    • Adventist Community Services
    • AmeriCorps Delaware
    • Delaware Emergency Management Agency
    • Delaware Behavioral Health and Emotional Support Team
    • St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church
    • Calvary Church
    • Delaware Medical Reserve Corps
    • Dover Police Department
    • Delaware Capitol Police
    • Bayshore Transportation
    • Wastemasters Solutions
    • New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer
    • Representative Ed Osienski
    • Representative Kim Williams
    • Representative Ray Seigfried
    • New Castle County Councilman David Carter
    • Chase Center on the Riverfront
    • AND MANY MORE!

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