March 11, 2021 marked one year since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. In that time, our world has changed—from the very smallest details to the overall scope of our lives. And Inter-Faith Food Shuttle has not been spared. In fact, from the very onset of the pandemic, the Food Shuttle switched gears to be able to work within the restrictions brought about by the virus while enabling the organization to serve the increased number of households affected by the virus’ impact.
Almost immediately, on March 21, 2020, the Food Shuttle suspended all indoor volunteer programs out of safety concerns for staff and volunteers. Volunteer programs continued outdoors at the Food Shuttle Farm and Geer Street Learning Garden in Durham, but with strict social distancing observed. Food Shuttle staff members stepped in to fill the sizeable void left by the absence of program volunteers needed for sorting food donations, packing emergency food boxes, and preparing and packing individual quick-frozen meals for the first few weeks, and then temporary workers were hired. In April, the NC Army National Guard arrived to assist with distribution efforts. But the absence of volunteers was still felt throughout the organization. It wasn’t until summer 2020 that small numbers of volunteers started trickling back into the indoor Food Shuttle programs, always masked, always social distanced, always carefully monitored for signs of the virus—just as all Food Shuttle staff members are each day.
Food insecurity has increased across the country as jobs have been lost and families have struggled to make ends meet in the face of the pandemic. Inter-Faith Food Shuttle has risen to meet the needs of families, children, and seniors in central North Carolina, despite rising food costs, disruptions to the supply chain, and drastic reductions in food donations. Mobile Markets, direct distributions of groceries, fresh produce, meats, and baked goods, were formerly held as “shopping events” but have become extremely efficient contact-free drive-through models, serving 1,200% more people than pre-COVID.
The Food Shuttle’s culinary staff has ramped up production, providing both individual quick-frozen (IQF) meals for students and family-size casserole meals in quantities unfathomable before the pandemic began. At the height of the pandemic, the staff was preparing 1,500 IQF meals a week for students who were used to getting most of their nutrition at school. Casserole meals continue to be passed out through a variety of distribution methods to help ensure that families and seniors get the nutrition they need to stave off hunger. Additional casseroles are provided through a successful restaurant partnership program that has not only ensured meals to those facing food insecurity but has helped the partner restaurants stay in business and keep their staffs employed.
The Food Shuttle’s education programs have pivoted to digital formats to enable continued instruction during the pandemic. Cooking Matters has utilized webinars and Facebook livestreams to reach their audiences with classes on cooking and eating healthy on a budget. Sprout Scouts Online Adventures debuts later this month on Google Classroom for elementary school students, and Seed to Supper classes are coming to a virtual classroom soon. While switching to a digital model has been necessitated by the restrictions of the COVID world, the innovation of remote learning will allow the Food Shuttle to reach a wider audience unencumbered by the limitations of travel and time.
These are just a few of the ways that COVID-19 has affected Inter-Faith Food Shuttle programs to serve central North Carolina. The impact of this virus will last long after the majority of the population has been vaccinated and the case numbers have flattened. While the economy recovers and job numbers return, the Food Shuttle will continue to stand ready to provide meals and hope to those in need, just as they have for over 30 years.