Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Food bank helps keep people fed
Director says need this holiday season as strong as she’s seen
FORT SMITH — The River Valley Regional Food Bank has worked to keep local residents fed this Thanksgiving holiday in the midst of increasing food insecurity and costs.
Tracy Engel, director of the food bank, explained Nov. 16 her program did this through donations from multiple organizations and events. The nonprofit group has 165 partner agencies across Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Polk, Scott, Sebastian and Yell counties.
The food bank serves more than 100,000 people every month through its partner agencies, according to a news release from the organization.
Engel said she hasn’t seen a need for food in the community as strong as she’s seen this year during her nearly decade-long tenure at the food bank. This includes the height of the covid-19 pandemic, which she said left many local residents in the service industry out of work.
A report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service titled, “Household Food Security in the United States in 2022,” puts the estimated prevalence rate of food insecurity in Arkansas from 202022 at 16.6%, the highest of any state in the country. Food insecurity is a lack of reliable access to sufficient, affordable and nutritious food.
Engel said she believes those statistics based on what she’s seen. She noted the food bank’s partner agencies are buying more food and expanding their budgets this year, as well as coming to the food bank and asking for more product. The cost of food has also continued to increase from last year.
Engel said the organization served more than 550 veterans through its seventh annual Veterans Day distribution Nov. 10. The Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association Arkansas Chapter 7-3 in Fort Smith was on hand at the food bank to distribute a turkey, ham, dry box food and dessert to every veteran with a special invitation passed out to local veterans organizations in the River Valley, according to a news release.
Engel said Rub ’Em Tender BBQ in Van Buren, a veteran-owned business, helped the food bank serve the veterans a barbecue meal at the Propak building on Garrison Avenue in Fort Smith as well. She clarified the invitations were meant to ensure the food bank served veterans who really needed the food distributed.
Joe Robine, chapter commander for the motorcycle association, said his group looks forward to the Veterans Day distribution every year.
Engel said Cargill donated 2,400 turkeys to the River Valley Regional Food Bank in late October or early November in conjunction with the 5News Give Where You Live campaign. The food bank was able to disperse those turkeys to all its member agencies for further distribution.
Justin Bates, the food bank’s marketing and development director, said outside of the turkeys from Cargill, the organization collected 24,764 pounds of food — or 20,636 meals — during Give Where You Live.
The food bank also had its 11th annual Feeding Hope Turkey Drive across almost all Walmart stores in its eight-county service area Friday, according to Engel. She said the turkeys people donated through the drive would be taken back to the food bank and given to its partner agencies.
Engel said Butterball contributed 1,000 turkeys to the drive between the River Valley Regional Food Bank and the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank in Springdale, which got 500 turkeys each.
“I believe we did over 5,000 last year between us and Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, and our goal is to always beat that number,” Engel said.
Engel said people can support the food bank by donating to the organization or signing up to volunteer via its website, www.rvrfoodbank.
They can also call the food bank at (479) 785-0582.