Free food gets snapped up
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NEW ULM -- Saturday morning, over 100 cars and trucks were lined up on south Garden Street waiting for the free food distribution.
A team of volunteers set up stations in the Jefferson and St. Paul's Lutheran elementary schools' parking lots.
Cars entered the lot from Garden Street, and volunteers loaded vehicles with food supplies. Each family received a gallon of milk, a bag of apples, a bag of carrots and a bag of protein products.
The event was held in collaboration with United Way of Brown County Area and Open Door Health Center of Mankato with food from Second Harvest Heartland. This was the latest of several food giveaways organized in the region. The COVID pandemic has created a challenge for many families to afford or acquire necessary groceries.
Enough food supplies were available for 450 families. The food distribution began at 8 a.m. and within less than two hours most of the food was gone.
Brown County United Way Executive Director Lori Pickell-Stangel said vehicles began lining up an hour before the giveaway even started. Volunteers started the day with two stations full of food packages. Before 9 a.m. the team was able to merge into one station.
Jayme Enamorado with Open Door has helped organized events in Blue Earth County since November. She said this was one of the busiest she has seen in some time. More recent distribution in Blue Earth had been slower.
"Clearly there is still a demand," she said.
The food was available to anyone in line. Volunteers asked how many families each vehicle was picking up for and how many children and people over 65 were in the family units. Enamorado said this information was only for demographic purposes.
Open Door and United Way are hoping to more COVID funding will be able for future food giveaways.