Mid-South Food Bank cuts mobile pantry program

JACKSON, Tenn. — Leaders with one local nonprofit say they’re making necessary program cuts that will affect one West Tennessee county.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mid-South Food Bank, which is based in Memphis, didn’t have a large mobile pantry program, but they provided assistance to accommodate as the need increased for additional mobile pantries in specific counties.

Here’s what’s next for food pantries across the region.

“We’re pretty much operating under our pre-COVID status,” said Nicole Willis, Marketing and Communications Manager for Mid-South Food Bank. “During COVID, a lot of nonprofits, corporations, etc., they were receiving additional funding to assist during that time. Guess what? That funding has stopped.”

Now that COVID funding is gone, Mid-South can no longer fund extra pantries in specific counties and cities.

Now those mobile pantries have to be funded directly from their agency.

It is a part of Mid-South’s mission to end hunger across all of their 31 counties.

“It does break out heart that we have to end these things, because we recognize that although that COVID money may not be available anymore, but the need continues, so it is definitely not our intention to leave the community hanging,” Willis said.

According to Commissioner Willie Tapp, McNairy County is one of the of the communities in West Tennessee that appreciates the benefit that the Mid-South Food Pantry brings.

Commissioner Tapp tells us that at their recent board meeting, commissioners allocated funds in the amount of $5,224 for 10 weeks.

That will allow continued delivery to McNairy County residents in need twice a month for the remainder of the fiscal year.

“We still have brick and mortar pantries where you go into a church business, etc., where you can receive assistance,” Willis said. “You just no longer have the mobile drive ups, because during that time, we were able to fund the mobile pantries at 100% through the COVID money.”

Here’s what you can do if your facing food insecurity in your area.

“What they would need to do is go on their website, midsouthfoodbank.org, and click on the ‘Find Food ‘tab and type their zip code in, and it will tell you the closest pantry to them,” said Willis.

This change will only effect the Mid-South’s mobile food pantry program.

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