Harvest Texarkana will distribute 1,000 food boxes at fairgrounds

TEXARKANA — Harvest Regional Food Bank will distribute 1,000 emergency food box bundles to Texarkana area residents at 8 a.m. today (Wednesday) at the Four State Fairgrounds.

The mobile pantry is the last one of the year for Harvest Texarkana.

Distribution will last until noon or until all boxes have been distributed. Recipients are directed to enter from the 50th Street entrance at Highway 245/Four States Fair Parkway in front of Bobby Ferguson Park (by the gazebo). Distribution is limited to one bundle per household and two households per vehicle.

With COVID-19 precautions and recommendations still in place, Harvest is taking every measure to ensure the safety of its staff, volunteers and recipients, said Executive Director Camille Wrinkle. Mobile pantries are now operating as “drive-thru” distributions, with food boxes being loaded directly into vehicles. Recipients will not be allowed to exit the vehicle or park to pick up food.

Harvest Regional Food Bank has had a record-setting year in response to the COVID-19 crisis, distributing five million pounds of food in 2020 , which is a 55% increase over this time last year, Wrinkle said.

Harvest works to eliminate hunger in Southwest Arkansas and Northeast Texas through its food banking, food rescue, school backpack and mobile pantry programs.

“This mobile pantry is a way for us to meet the need here in our community,and it’s no secret that there’s been a significant rise in the number of people who need hunger relief,” Wrinkle said. “We want to make sure we get food to as many people as we possibly can, especially during the holidays.”

Harvest Regional Food Bank is a 501(c) (3) tax exempt organization. Donations are tax deductible.