Photo: Eric Chase, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Tim Riggs, chief operations officer at the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas, are shown with a donation of 25 pallets of food, weighing 39,264 pounds.
NORFORK – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mountain Home has partnered with the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas in an effort to provide more shelf-stable food products to those facing food insecurity. The result is a contribution of 25 pallets of food weighing 39,264 pounds to help those in need.
The contribution includes shelf-stable chili, black beans, green beans, mashed potatoes, diced tomatoes, soup, spaghetti sauce, salsa, peanut butter, sugar, flour, canola oil, pinto beans, macaroni and spaghetti.
Church member Eric Chase began working with Food Bank COO Tim Riggs in the fall of 2019 to arrange for the semi-load of food to be donated to the food bank. The food comes from the Bishop’s Store House in Salt Lake City, where the church gathers and warehouses food, clothing, water, disaster supplies and other items to be shipped worldwide to assist individuals in need.
“I was made aware of this opportunity through my leadership role in the church,” says Chase, who is employed at Hiland Dairy in Mountain Home, which works closely with the food bank throughout the year. “I was just in the right place at the right time, and wanted to do my part to help,” Chase adds.
The shipment was set to arrive in mid-spring before COVID-19 began to spread; however, it was delayed when church officials began to prioritize their donations based on the areas hit hardest by the virus.
The food bank has seen unprecedented need in recent months, setting records for daily and weekly food distribution and illuminating the urgency of new resources and avenues to connect community members with a sustainable food supply. With unemployment numbers still climbing, the demand is continuing to grow.
The food bank saw an 92% increase in direct services this spring. Food bank CEO Jeff Quick says “This is just one example of the collaborative efforts of the Food Bank and its partners. We are grateful to Eric and his church for partnering with us to help ensure individuals and families have access to food during these trying times.”
Because of this donation, the food bank will be able to provide over 32,000 meals to residents in need across the region.
For more information, visit foodbanknca.org or contact the Food Bank of North Central Arkansas directly at 870-499-7565.
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