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Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Food Bank pushing hard to get food to those who need it






COVID-19 Update - All Are Welcome
at Food Bank Member Agencies 

 

The Food Bank has been working hard to distribute food to our neighbors in need through our statewide network of food pantries and meal sites. We’ve also been adapting our operations to meet the increased demand, particularly among vulnerable populations like children and seniors.

All Are Welcome
All are Welcome at Food Bank member agencies. Many Rhode Islanders are experiencing food insecurity for the first time as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. They may never have sought food assistance through our network of food pantries and meal sites.

At the member agencies of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, all are welcome - Todos Son Bienvenidos - regardless of background, including immigration status. Our priority is to provide assistance to those most in need, so please help us spread the word that our network is here to help by sharing the link to: https://rifoodbank.org/find-food/

Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs)
The Food Bank is working with RIEMA to deliver 45,000 Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs) to towns and cities across Rhode Island. Each community will receive their requested supply and issue them to individuals at the local level. The MRE kits will not be available directly to the public through the Food Bank but a supply will be delivered to member agencies in our network.

Thousands have already gone out, and we anticipate that by the end of the week nearly 75% will be distributed. We expect that we will receive more of these meals from FEMA as the crisis continues. To learn more about MREs, visit the COVID-19 Response page of our website.

Operations Update
To meet the increased need at our member agencies, the Food Bank added deliveries on Saturday. Our drivers will be making sure that shelves stay stocked with healthy, nutritious food.

In the past three weeks, we’ve distributed 2,624 Meals4Kids boxes, more than twice the number we usually give out in a whole month. Each pack contains a week’s worth of meals and snacks for kids. We continue to deliver more boxes to our member agencies so that we can meet the demand.

And we’re preparing our Senior Box distribution for April as part of our ongoing monthly Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). Each month, we provide 1,660 older adults with a box of healthy, supplemental food. Normally, these boxes are packed by volunteers, but due to COVID-19 restrictions on groups, our staff are putting them together.

Thank you!
Along with the outpouring of contributions from businesses and individuals like you, we’ve received many kind words. Here’s a quote from one of our recent donors, Janice from Riverside:

“I am proud of the effort to address so many issues relating to this emergency.  I am a long-retired nurse who is among the vulnerable population and wish I could do more.”
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Our mailing address is:
Rhode Island Community Food Bank
200 Niantic Ave
Providence, RI 02907-3150