By: Elizabeth Stahl, Communication Intern While interning for Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, I have learned some of the ins-and-outs of the food rescue and food distribution process, but I never saw them first hand until the other day. Thursday is the busiest day in the warehouse for agency pick-ups, when our agencies come to the Food Shuttle, load their trucks with food, and distribute it among their clients. For this week’s Friday Full of Fun, I decided to witness one of these agency pick-ups for myself. Community Helpers, based out of Johnston County, sends three dedicated volunteers each week to pick-up food from the Food Shuttle,
We do it out of the goodness of our hearts- we don’t ask for anything,” one man said.
The three men said they have been volunteering with Community Helpers since their retirement, for over twelve years. "Inter-Faith has helped us a great deal, if it weren't for them we couldn't do what we do," one volunteer mentioned.
Box by box their truck was filled. Whether bananas, lettuce, eggs, or cereal, the volunteers were sent back with enough food to feed their average 225 people per week. In some detail, here is a close look at agency pick-ups:
Firstly, Inter-Faith Food Shuttle receives food from the Farmers Market, grocery stores, and other locations.
Then, the food is sorted and put onto pallets then taken to the loading dock.
Next, the food is loaded onto distribution trucks or in this case, a trailer provided by the volunteers.
Once the fresh produce and other items are loaded onto the truck, the agencies take it to their respective locations.
The process in its entirety makes so much sense, we take food that will ultimately just be thrown out, and give it to those in need. A full circle process, as Community Helpers was pulling out of the driveway, a distribution truck full of 10,000 pounds of fresh produce from the North Carolina State Farmers Market pulled in. This food will be sorted and redistributed among our agencies. (Did you know that the North Carolina State Farmers Market donated over 1.4 million pounds of food to the Food Shuttle last year?! Thank you Farmers Market!)