Little Rock, Arkansas – Families in central Arkansas were left without supplies when their food went bad due to the storms that left thousands of Arkansans without power on Sunday.
The Arkansas Food Bank distributed approximately 80,000 pounds of food salvaged from the Indian Hills Kroger in North Little Rock on Thursday morning, helping to solve the issue.
Following the store’s power outage last weekend, the frozen meals, produce, and dairy were all kept and later donated to deserving families through a drive-thru donation event hosted in the parking lot of Mosaic Church.
Both volunteers and participants agree that it was a blessing during a trying period. Brian Burton, CEO of the Arkansas Foodbank, spoke about the volunteer work.
“It’s really love in action,” Burton explained. “You never get used to this magnitude of suffering and the reality of hunger… [but] It’s a solvable problem, it takes resources, it takes everyone lending their treasure, their time, their voice, and that’s what happening today.”
The trip “does change the lives of most people, including me,” one lady who picked up groceries said, adding that she lost close to $100 in food after her fridge lost electricity the same day she had run errands.
Efforts of the Arkansas Food Bank don’t stop here. Every day, they have supplies for those who are going hungry, whether it be due to short-term effects from the storm or long-term difficulties.
Visit ArkansasFoodbank.org to find out more about where to pick up food from the food bank. You can sign up online to help at the food bank.