LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Throughout the pandemic, the Food Bank of Lincoln continues serving people in 16 counties across southeast Nebraska, but right now, the demand is higher than ever. Soon, the cooler temperatures are expecting to make things even worse.
This summer, the food bank handed out 70% more food than they did during that same time frame in 2019.
To put this even more into perspective, in August alone, more than 11,000 families received food.
For some of them, this is their first time needing assistance from the food bank, and the executive director, Scott Young says that’s completely understandable.
At the beginning of the pandemic, the food bank saw the need for food being higher in rural Nebraska. Now, the demand is greater in the city of Lincoln.
With in-person drives and fundraisers being canceled, they’ve had to switch things up by solely doing drive-thru distributions.
Since March, staff at the food bank says even though things are different, they’ve been feeding kids and their families like never before.
“Right now, volunteers aren’t able to go into schools, which is proper. So, we’re trying to partner with LPS as much as we can to distribute to schools late in the afternoon when school is not in session,” Young said.
With so much changing, one of the food bank’s biggest fundraisers is also shifting gears. The Empty Bowls To-Go event this year, will be drive-thru only, and for the first time ever, soup will not be served.
Even though they’re not concerned about running out of food, handing it all out is creating some concerns.
Because the food bank helps those both here in Lincoln and in rural counties, they say making sure they’re able to distribute the food to those in need, might be a challenge if the demand continues to rise.
Young said, “We’ve got a lot of work to do as we approach the fall and winter months. Those are hard months for families, kids and people. We intend to do our best, but it’ll be a little more complicated during the hard winter months.”
Staff says they’re a little concerned whether fresh produce will continue coming in as much as it did this summer.
The food bank reports setting records every month for the amount of food given out, and they don’t expect that to change.
Young says people should not be embarrassed receiving help, especially if it’s their first time. He says if you need food, all you have to do is show up, no questions asked.
Right now, the food bank says it needs volunteers. With many of their usual volunteers being in the COVID-19 high-risk category, they’re now looking for those between the ages of 18 and 59 to help out.
If you’d like to volunteer or are in need of food, visit HERE.
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September 28, 2020 at 07:42PM
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Food Bank of Lincoln says need for food continues going up during pandemic - KOLN
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