Jonesboro, March 9, 2021: The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas announced today that it received a grant from the Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation, totaling $25,000, to assist in feeding families at risk of hunger.
According to Christie Jordan, CEO of the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas, the number of people requesting emergency food assistance is still high. In these times of increased need, the Food Bank is providing emergency food assistance to more families at risk of hunger than ever before. The Food Bank has worked to ensure that each county has food pantries that are open and serving families facing hunger. Food pantries have switched to drive-through service to the families they are helping. The Food Bank continues to operate mobile commodity distributions according to schedule, also implementing drive-through service.
“Although we are months into the pandemic and have the hope provided by the vaccine rollout, many people are still facing hard times,” Jordan said. “The Food Bank and our partner food pantries are here to help. We want families to know they shouldn’t feel embarrassed to ask for help.”
In calendar year 2020, the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas saw a 20% increase in the number of people served. Jordan said that their food pantry network anticipates an increased need for their services for months to come as families recover from economic hardships.
“We are grateful to the King Foundation for their support in helping us provide food assistance to families in need as our communities continue to be impacted by the pandemic,” said Jordan. “The reality is that every member of the community is positively affected when a hungry family is fed.”
The Food Bank will use the grant funds to provide emergency food distribution to struggling families in Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Greene, Jackson, Lawrence, Mississippi, Poinsett, Randolph, St. Francis, and Woodruff counties.
“In the face of dramatically increasing hunger due to the pandemic, the King Foundation sought out reliable and trusted partners like the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas. We knew we could depend on them to make fast and effective use of our grant dollars to help people in need,” said Michelle D. Monse, President of the King Foundation.
About the Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation
The Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation was founded by Mr. and Mrs. King in 1966. The Foundation continues their work by supporting agencies that promote health, independence, and opportunity within their communities. The Foundation awards grants in both Arkansas and Texas. In Arkansas the King Foundation gives to agencies that serve a 32-county area in the eastern and southern regions of the state. Additional information on the Foundation can be found on their website, www.kingfoundation.com.
About the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas
The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas provides hunger relief to people in need by raising awareness, securing resources, and distributing food through a network of non-profit agencies and programs. The Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas provides the equivalent of 165,000 meals each week to people facing hunger. The Food Bank works in partnership with 140 non-profit partner agencies and programs in 12 counties in Northeast Arkansas. These counties include: Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Greene, Jackson, Lawrence, Mississippi, Poinsett, Randolph, St. Francis, and Woodruff. Additionally, the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas is a member of Feeding America, a national network of food banks. Through our many partnerships, every $1 donated can help provide 4 meals. For additional information, please visit our website www.foodbankofnea.org. You can also find the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas on Facebook @FoodBankofNEA, Twitter @foodbankofnea, and Instagram @foodbankofnea.
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