Fill-A-Truck food campaign under way in September

Food banks across the country are feeling the pinch due to sizable demands that are coinciding with tightening food assistance eligibility and rising grocery prices.

The Jackson County Ministerial Alliance’s New Hope Food Pantry is no exception to the national rule, and food pantry leaders are asking the community to step up and help fill the pantry’s shelves.

“Right now, we’ve been able to serve everybody who comes in,” said Darla Hedrick, food pantry manager. “Sometimes, we’ve got a lot of food because of the donations, and sometimes we just have to scramble to get some. So it kind of goes in waves.”

Food items sought by the pantry include all canned meats, powdered and evaporated milk, shelf-stable milk, spaghetti sauce, potato flakes, Spaghetti-O’s, ravioli, brownie and cake mixes, cereal, canned fruit, fruit juice, peanut butter, macaroni and cheese, can openers, toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes and hygiene products.

Financial donations also are welcome, said Hedrick, who noted that those donations go toward purchases from the regional Harvesters food bank, even though there are times that program comes up short in terms of variety.

“They have a program, TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program), where every month I can go in and I can order things for the pantry, but a lot of times, it’s the same thing all the time,” Hedrick said. “It’s applesauce, or it’s peas, or green beans, or corn — I order them in bulk, and it’s not bad, but a lot of the time, we can’t get things like powdered milk or instant potatoes.”

Some local businesses are stepping up. Foster Ford, which is participating in Ford Motor Company’s nationwide “Fill A Truck” campaign for local food pantries during September, has challenged two other Holton dealerships — Ellis Boys Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram and Baum Motors — to fill a truck or other receptacle at their locations to see who can collect the most non-perishable food in September for the New Hope pantry.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Hedrick said. “The Ford company is doing this nationwide, and Foster helped us by participating last year. And then it was suggested to talk to the other dealerships, maybe we could get a little competition going. And I was glad to see that they agreed to do it.”

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