Photo By Staff Sgt. Hannah Tarkelly | North Carolina Army National Guardsmen of the 1-130th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion,...... read more read more
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RALEIGH, N.C.- North Carolina Army National Guardsmen (NCARNG) of the 1-130th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 449th Theater Aviation Brigade, based in Morrisville, sort produce for future distribution at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, April 27, 2020.
The NCARNG worked with local food banks to help support COVID-19 relief efforts. Guardsmen assisted with examining and sorting fresh produce and packing boxes for distribution.
“It’s a part of National Guard tradition, being there for citizens in times of need,” said 1st Lt. Ryan Ford of Delta Company, 1-130th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion. “The National Guard is always here to step up when needed to ensure we can assist the citizens of North Carolina.”
The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina serves 34 counties in the Tarheel State to ensure citizens have access to food and resources. However, due to COVID-19 and the importance of social distancing, the amount of volunteers needed to sustain day to day operations declined. Therefore, Guardsmen were called into action to fill the roles of volunteers and help meet the demand and distribution of food to the communities.
“Giving people access to not just food but nutritious food is really important,” said Jesslyn Hill, the agriculture partnerships coordinator for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.
Within two days a group of 11 Guardsmen boxed approximately 37,000 meals and examined and sorted more than 10,000 pounds of fresh produce into family sized bags to distribute across the southeastern part of the state.
“With the National Guard we are able to move more product faster and more efficiently,” said Marco Rodriguez, the director of volunteer engagement at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.
The NCNG partnered with local food banks, North Carolina Emergency Management, the N.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services, the N.C. Dept. of Agriculture and the Veterans Corps to help get needed food to the people of NC in a timely manner.
| Date Taken: | 04.27.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.28.2020 08:52 |
| Story ID: | 368617 |
| Location: | NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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