Food bank to have drive-through pickup
Staff writer
People in need of food assistance from Marion County Resource Center are no longer allowed in its 1220 Main St. building.
Volunteers will place packed boxes of food in the trunk of their car as they pull up to the food pantry’s entrance.
The new protocol was put in place by Marion County Health Department to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
“We cannot have people come into the food bank like they usually do,” said Gene Winkler, volunteer. “We need them to come and pick up their food, otherwise we would have to close.”
Food boxes will contain milk, eggs, chicken or beef, three different vegetables and fruit, if it is available.
If there is a foodstuff that someone will not use, they need to tell volunteers at the door, Winkler said, adding that repacking of any boxes will be done outside.
“We are not allowing people to pick and choose, like they have done in the past,” he said.
Commodities will be given out the same way, he said.
Donations are especially welcome during school closures as students lose access to lunches, he said.
In the meantime, Winkler said people need to work with volunteers as they give out packages.
“We need people to be patient with us,” he said. “We’ll get through this. I don’t think this is something that can last forever. As soon as we can we’ll go back to the way we did things.”