The Second Harvest Food Bank Tailgate program was at the RossCommunity Center Thursday, delivering food to Muncie-area familiesin need.
Joe Fox, operations director at Second Harvest Food Bank of eastcentral Indiana, said that 210 families (about 830 people) showedup for the tailgate.
The Second Harvest Tailgate Program visits Muncie on a regularbasis, Erin Rockhill, director of agency relations and programdevelopment at the Second Harvest Food Bank of east centralIndiana, said. The tailgate truck is scheduled to help those inneed at the Ross Community Center on the second and fourth Thursdayof every month.
The Second Harvest Tailgate Program started last year, but itsroots date back to 1997 with a program called Pantry On Wheels,Rockhill said.
Pantry On Wheels was a program similar to the Second Harvesttailgate, except that it delivered food boxes to senior citizens inneed. Rockhill said that too many people were in need to limit theprogram exclusively to seniors.
"The Second Harvest Tailgate Program is a great way to get foodto all individuals in our community who are in need," Rockhillsaid.
Rockhill added that those in need are asked only basic questionssuch as the number of people in their family.
"Income or job status questions are never asked," Rockhillsaid.
Rockhill said that the Second Harvest organization aids Delawarecounty residents in need with additional programs. One example ofthis is the Kid's Cafe program, which caters to people 18 andunder. This program offers students a meal after school,nutritional education and tutoring.
Thanks to a grant from ConAgra foods, the Kids Cafe program isexpanding. In addition to the three Kids Cafe's already inoperation, the ConAgra grant is allowing Second Harvest to open anadditional facility. Rockhill said Second Harvest is always lookingfor volunteers to work with the children.
In the future, Rockhill said that she would like to see thetailgate program combine with a food pick-up center, allowing thosemaking food donations and those receiving them to both have acentral location to do so.
For students looking to to contribute to the cause of endinghunger, Fox suggests starting food drives in the dorms and otherpublic buildings on campus.
"Students can help on their own by starting food drives inboxes, and we suggest adding labels that indicate dry and cannedfoods only, and no glass items," Fox said.
Once the boxes are filled, students can contact Second Harvestat (765) 649-0292, and the food will be picked up and delivered,Fox said.
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