Photo By Sgt. Hannah Tarkelly | North Carolina Army National Guard Spc. Brandon Daniels, assigned to the 875th...... read more read more
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ASHEVILLE, N.C. - North Carolina Army National Guard Soldiers of the 875th Engineer Company and the 883rd Engineer Company help sort, prepare and distribute food at the Mountain Area Nutritional Needs Alliance (MANNA) Foodbank, June 25-26, 2020.
MANNA is a non-profit organization that works with more than 200 agencies to distribute food and basic necessities to sixteen counties across Western N.C.
“Our mission is to get food out to anyone who needs it across these sixteen counties reaching even the most remote areas of our region,” said Mary Nesbitt, the chief development officer for MANNA.
A group of eight Soldiers from the Tar Heel state joined together in the mountainous terrain of Asheville to support MANNA’s mission and provide emergency relief to families struggling during COVID-19.
“The National Guard stepped in almost immediately to help us,” Nesbitt said.
The Guardsmen have been working for more than 60 days to help process donated products, conduct inventory, sort and prepare produce, and distribute it to partnered agencies and local families. The donated products include fresh produce, canned and bagged goods, and basic necessities such as cleaning products and hygiene products.
“It’s more than just food,” said NCARNG Sgt. Jonathan Greene, assigned to the 883rd Engineer Company and the non-commissioned officer in charge for the Asheville emergency relief team. “It’s a joy and a privilege. We’re making a difference...we’re helping a community.”
The Soldiers’ daily efforts also include serving packaged meals during food drives as well as serving local schools such as the Johnston Elementary School, to help feed the children of Buncombe County. They work closely with cafeteria workers and administrators to help package and distribute meals.
“We are operating beyond maximum capacity through this crisis so had it not been for the National Guard... we would not have been able to do what we have been able to do,” Nesbitt said.
The pandemic brought an astronomical hardship particularly to the Asheville community. The MANNA Food Helpline experienced a 73% increase in calls compared to the pre-pandemic weekly average.
“When COVID hit hard in mid March with the necessary closing of non-essential businesses we saw the need across our region skyrocket nearly overnight with so many people plunged into economic crisis,” Nesbitt said.
According to MANNA’s COVID-19 impact report for March 1st through May 31st, the average number of individuals served weekly were 95,000 including a distribution of six millions pounds of food and a total of five million meals.
“We’re breaking records,” Nesbitt said.
MANNA’s operations and workload have skyrocketed on a large scale as a result of COVID-19. The NCNG has been able to help support this large increase and help make MANNA’s mission possible and reach every individual in need across Western N.C.
“We are delighted to have this opportunity to thank all of the members of the National Guard who have come out to help us during this pandemic,” Nesbitt said.
| Date Taken: | 06.28.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 07.01.2020 11:05 |
| Story ID: | 372983 |
| Location: | NC, US |
| Web Views: | 93 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NCARNG Help Feed the Hungry During COVID-19, by SGT Hannah Tarkelly, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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