HOLDREGE — Food Bank for the Heartland is partnering with Farm Credit Services of America to host a free mobile food pantry today in Holdrege.
The mobile pantry will take place 4-6 p.m. at the Holdrege City Auditorium, 421 Grant St.
FCSAmerica is funding the mobile pantry, and employees from the financial cooperative’s Kearney office will volunteer to distribute perishable and shelf-stable food for free to individuals and families in need.
The mobile pantry is for people living in Phelps County and surrounding communities. Those in need of the service are invited to bring boxes or bags to assist in carrying the food they receive. No identification is required to receive food.
Food Bank for the Heartland’s mobile pantry program delivers food directly to communities that have a high need but limited food resources. The one-day distribution is free, and in Phelps County will include pasta, tomato sauce, rice, canned meats, macaroni and cheese, and other shelf-stable products along with fresh fruits and vegetables and bakery items.
FCSAmerica is hosting 16 mobile pantries across the Food Bank’s service area in Nebraska and western Iowa through October.
Results of a study supported by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the Nielsen Company show approximately 10.1 percent, or 930 people, in Phelps County are at-risk for hunger. Map the Meal Gap 2019 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 207,000 struggling with hunger based on study results.
