Mid-South Food Bank suspends some mobile pantry routes due to lack of funding
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The Mid-South Food Bank announced Wednesday that its newest mobile pantry routes have been suspended due to a funding shortage.
A spokesperson for the Mid-South Food Bank tells Action News 5 that a list of routes that will remain available to the public will be provided on Thursday.
The charity’s mobile food bank program was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing refrigerated vehicles to provide nutritious food to hungry mouths in a drive-thru setup.
The Mid-South Food Bank expanded the program due to its quick success, partly credited to support from the Tennessee Department of Emergency Management and local donors.
Mid-South Food Bank Interim President and CEO Scott Fortin says mobile food pantries sites will drop to 137 sites from 167 sites. However, brick and mortar pantries, soup kitchen and other resources the food bank offers will still be available.
Over 400,000 households in 31 counties rely on the Mid-South Food Bank.
The food bank was able to expand services including their mobile food pantry program during the pandemic from just a a couple dozen pantries to 167 sites using federal and local COVID-19 relief grants for the last five years to the tune of about $8 million, according to available financial records.
Fortin says each mobile food pantry event serves about 300 households now.
This year will be the first year since the pandemic they’ll have to reduce that number by 16% as those relief funds are no longer coming in, while demand for services remains high.
“It’s important to know that we are being really good stewards of the donor dollars that are coming to the food bank and that we’re we’re trying to stretch those dollars and maximize that that donation so that we can go beyond twenty months,” said Interim President and CEO Scott Fortin. “We can go into the future with that money and continue to support the area with the services that we’ve been doing.”
“As we transition into this new year, the funds supporting this program have run out,” the charity said in a statement. “While fundraising continues, the expense to run this program outside our core distribution model continues to outpace our fundraising and we have no other choice but to suspend the added routes that were initiated in early 2020.”
The Mid-South Food Bank acknowledged that this decision will impact locals who rely on its mobile pantries.
“However, we want to assure you that we will continue to provide essential support through our Core Partner Programs such as our brick-and-mortar pantries, soup kitchens, and pantry-supported deliveries, which remain committed to serving those in need,” the statement continues.
Anyone in need of assistance is encouraged to visit the Mid-South Food Bank’s website to find the nearest pantry in their area.
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