Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Tyson, Walmart help Fort Smith food pantry
FORT SMITH — River Valley residents whose lives are affected by the coronavirus were able to obtain food Thursday thanks to the efforts of a local group.
People lined up in their vehicles outside the front of the River Valley Regional Food Bank on Thursday to receive both free poultry and produce. More than 3,200 families were served, according to a news release.
Springdale’s Tyson Foods donated more than 73,000 pounds of chicken products to the food bank to help fight hunger in the River Valley during the covid-19 pandemic, according to the news release. Of that amount, 37,000 pounds was distributed Thursday. Bentonville’s Walmart donated about 40,000 pounds of produce for the distribution.
Tracy Engel, food bank director, said each person who came to the food bank received a 20-pound box of frozen poultry, which included fritters, nuggets, strips and breasts, and a case of produce. Recipients weren’t required to present identification or fill out any paperwork to obtain those goods.
Engel called Thursday’s event “a gift to the community.” The food bank, which serves eight counties, also distributed chicken products donated by Tyson Foods to its member agencies Wednesday.
“We’ve got … people that had jobs a month ago that don’t have jobs now that never seen themselves in this position, and they’ve fallen on hard times,” Engel said. “They had an income a month ago coming in, their future looked bright, and all of a sudden, this pandemic’s hit, and it’s just ground everything to a halt. They still have families to feed. They still have rent to pay, utilities. … They’ve fallen on hard times, and that’s what the River Valley Regional Food Bank’s here for.”
Thursday’s distribution began at 8 a.m., and continued as long as supplies lasted. In compliance with social distancing guidelines, it operated in a style reminiscent of a drive-through, with staff loading items into each recipient’s trunk or truck bed while the recipients stayed in their vehicles.
Engel said some residents were lined up at the food bank at 4 a.m. Thursday, or even earlier, to get a donation. Demand was so high Zero Street, where the food bank is located, was heavily congested. It got to the point where the line of backed-up vehicles spanned multiple blocks, with police directing traffic.
“No one [had] foreseen this,” Engel said. “We called the Fort Smith Police Department yesterday, and they were like, ‘Yeah, we’ll send a couple of motorcycle officers out.’ Well, we have five units out there right now, and motorcycle units.”
Thursday’s distribution, Engel said, was handled by staff of both the River Valley Regional Food Bank and the Crawford-Sebastian Community Development Council, of which the food bank is a program.
Marc Baker, executive director of the Crawford-Sebastian Community Development Council, said protein and produce are very important in one’s diet.
“The produce, I don’t think, is as short [supply] in stores, but the protein surely is, and so we’re helping get the protein out, …” Baker said. “We’re making sure we’re distributing that to families.”
“So I think it’s very important now, and I think, going forward with the economy, it looks like we may not bounce out of this very quickly, unfortunately. I wish we would, but this may go long-term. This could be a year or two before we really get back to the way we were. …”
One of Thursday’s recipients was Greenwood resident Ashton Smitley. Smitley said his construction job was shut down about a week ago. The chicken and produce from the food bank will help him because he’s now taking care of his father-in-law and his father-in-law’s wife.
“The worst is yet to come, in my opinion, and I’m just trying to prepare, and I believe that everybody needs to prepare,” Smitley said.
More giveaways of this nature are planned, according to Engel.