OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – The Food Bank for the Heartland received a delivery of 33,000 pounds of non-perishable food Tuesday from the Omaha Nebraska Millard Stake of the Church of Latter-day Saints.
Donation part of nationwide campaign
The delivery was one of four truckloads the church sent to larger distribution centers across all 50 states as part of a nationwide campaign. September is Hunger Action Month.
Bill Mannewitz, with the Omaha Nebraska Millard Stake of the Church of Latter-day Saints, said the truck also promotes the country’s upcoming 250th anniversary.
“The truck itself is kind of a rolling billboard. It talks a lot about the 250th anniversary of the nation, which we’re very happy to be a part of and feel like it’s a blessing in our lives,” Mannewitz said.
Mannewitz described the delivery’s impact on the community.
“As we sat out there today and just watched the truck drive down the road, knowing that we were bringing food to this community and this area. As we partner together to put food on people, it’s just, it’s just a little bit of good,” Mannewitz said.
Food bank cites growing need
Stephanie Sullivan, assistant director of marketing and communications for the Food Bank for the Heartland, said the donation amounts to thousands of meals.
“27,500 meals is a significant step in the right direction in helping families get the nutritious food they need so they can live, learn, and thrive,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said the food will be distributed through the food bank’s 500 network partners across 93 counties in Nebraska and western Iowa.
The food bank says roughly tens of thousands of neighbors across Nebraska are dealing with the loss of their SNAP benefits.
“With federal funding cuts to SNAP, inflation continuing for our neighbors, all of these are additional barriers. And when we put more and more additional barriers on our neighbors, more people are in need of food assistance,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said demand has not been this high since the pandemic.
“Even though you may not be experiencing food insecurity, it’s happening to your neighbor, to your children’s classmate, to your coworker, to your friend, to people at church. This is happening in every single community. And it is growing at an accelerated rate that we cannot keep up with. And so when everyone collectively works together, we can create sustained change,” Sullivan said.
Upcoming event
As part of Hunger Action Month, the Food Bank for the Heartland will host a Stuff the Truck event Friday at the Pepperwood Bakers location at 156th and Dodge. A link to the food bank’s website can be found here.
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