$20,000 approved to aid food pantries

A contribution of $20,000 worth of food by the city will be provided to 18 — instead of 20 — food pantries to distribute to residents through an agreement with the Arkansas Foodbank that the North Little Rock City Council approved last week.

After the legislation was filed for the council’s agenda, two of the food pantries listed in the agreement were discovered to be outside North Little Rock, City Attorney Jason Carter said. Aldermen amended the agreement to provide $1,111 in food to each of the 18 other pantries, instead of $1,000 to each of the 20 as originally intended.

The agreement between the city and the Arkansas Foodbank specifies that the organization is to provide the specified monetary amount of food to the food pantries listed in the agreement without charge.

The Arkansas Foodbank is the largest provider of emergency food in central Arkansas, serving the majority of food pantries in North Little Rock, according to the resolution.