Harvest Regional Food Bank will distribute 1,000 emergency food boxes on Wednesday

TEXARKANA-Harvest Regional Food Bank will distribute 1,000 emergency food boxes to area residents on Wednesday.

The food boxes will be distributed starting at 8 a.m. at the Four States Fair Arena at 3700 East 50th St.

The event will last until noon or until all boxes have been distributed, said Camille Coker Wrinkle, executive Director of Harvest Regional Food Bank.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March, Harvest has seen a 63% increase in food distribution. As schools closed, jobs were lost and families faced food insecurity, many for the first time, Harvest got to work addressing the need for hunger relief.

“Prior to the COVID crisis, we used mobile pantries to serve the needs of our rural counties,” Wrinkle said. “But as we saw an increase in food insecurity right here in Texarkana, we realized the best way to address hunger was to use our mobile pantry program, but on a much larger scale.”

Family food boxes distributed in Harvest’s mobile pantry program include a box of fresh vegetables, a box of shelf-stable pantry items and a box of frozen meats. “

“We want families to be able to prepare nutritious meals with the food they receive, and this ‘bundle’ includes up to a month’s worth of much needed healthy food,” says Wrinkle. “In a little over a month, we’ve been able to provide food to 3,000 families in the Texarkana area.”

To ensure safe social distancing, recipients are to remain in their vehicle and follow direction of staff and volunteers upon entrance to the grounds. Enter from the 50th St Entrance at Hwy 245/ Four States Fair Parkway in front of Bobby Ferguson Park (by the gazebo). Distribution is limited to one box per household and two households per vehicle.