Loaves and Fishes kicked off its mobile pantry operations this week. The launch comes after the nonprofit temporarily closed its full-size pantry locations to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Switching to mobile pantries allows the organization to reduce personal contact and serve its clients, drive-thru style.
First Presbyterian Church, one of Loaves and Fishes’ larger pantry sites, is hosting its first mobile pantry on Wednesday from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
“We're a big site for Loaves and Fishes and we've been committed to keeping our doors open for that,” said the Rev. Pen Perry, of First Presbyterian Church. “Instead of going into a food pantry, we're going to take the food pantry out to the street.”
A Loaves and Fishes delivery truck will be parked in the church’s parking lot. Referred clients will be able to drive or walk up to receive a prepacked box with a seven-day supply of food.
While volunteers will have minimal contact with clients picking up food boxes, they do plan to share “big smiles” during the distribution.
Perry said that even though the community is going through a difficult season, people shouldn’t lose sight of their duty to serve.
“We have adapted the ways we worship,” said Perry. “It's remarkable to me how enduring the faith is and how important it is in times like these.”
“In the meantime, we come together, and we trust and we hope and we love each other.”
Loaves & Fishes is a nonprofit emergency food pantry program that provides a week's worth of nutritionally balanced groceries, free of charge, to individuals and families experiencing a financial crisis. Loaves & Fishes serves Mecklenburg County through a network of over 30 food pantries.
The organization needs Spanish-speaking volunteers to assist with upcoming mobile pantries. To learn more about receiving a referral for food assistance, click here and to sign up for volunteering, click here.
If you have an inspiring story to share, email Sinead Taylor, WSOC-TV community affairs specialist, at Sinead.Taylor@wsoc-tv.com.
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