More than 300 boxes of food that might otherwise go to waste was distributed to Brainerd lakes area community members Monday, April 27, in the Westgate Mall parking lot.
A partnership of Crow Wing Energized and Second Harvest North Central Food Bank, the Pop-Up Produce Pantry offered pre-sorted and packaged food for free to residents in need. This was the ninth such event since August 2019, although the method of delivery has changed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“What we’re doing differently with the COVID-19 is Second Harvest actually packages this food up before they get here,” said Karen Johnson, Crow Wing Energized program director. “Traditionally, when we started people could actually pick out their food. They could come up and pick out if they wanted a fresh watermelon, fresh corn. Now we package it up for them and they can pull up, they pop open their trunk, and they truly just get it loaded … in their vehicles.”
Tyrrie Foreman was one of those who drove up to the distribution event. She brought a friend along whose husband is out of work.
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“I figured I’d bring her up here so she can get food for her and her family and stuff since this virus is getting everybody,” Foreman said. “These guys are all putting their own life out to help out.”
Including Monday’s event, the Pop-Up Produce Pantry events have given away more than 100,000 pounds of primarily fresh produce.
The whole goal at that time (when it started) was to get fresh produce into people’s hands,” Johnson said. “It truly is produce that otherwise would go to waste.”
