The Halt Hunger Initiative's refrigerated truck has been making tracks to support those agencies and programs working toward food security.
On June 1, the truck made its end-of-the-year trip for the Feed-A-Child program. Bins used to transport the meals to the schools were collected and taken back to West Ohio Food Bank in preparation for the 2015-16 school year. More than 670 students, Kindergarten through 5th grade, were provided weekend meals throughout the past school year. Many thanks to the YMCA for its facilitation of the program and all the volunteers that make it happen.
The Community Gardens of Hancock County, whose mission is to educate and equip individuals to be food secure, also benefited from the service of the truck. Fifty bales of straw were transferred in one haul to the gardens. The straw is used by the gardeners for weed control and water preservation. Previously, this type of effort would have required a willing volunteer, several gallons of gas and quite a few round trips to the farm.
With its capacity to transport and store shelf-stable and cold-storage food items, the truck became a satellite cold storage refrigerator for the City Mission as their kitchen was under construction during their expansion project. Food was kept at the appropriate temperature for an entire week with the plug in capability of the refrigerated truck.
Many more opportunities lie ahead for this useful tool.
The truck was purchased in January with a grant from the Toledo Community Foundation's ProMedica Advocacy Fund, a grant from the Marathon Classic Golf Tournament and Halt Hunger Initiative funds.
Organizations interested in using the truck for hunger related purposes can contact Heather Heilman, United Way's program and grants coordinator, at heather.heilman@uwhancock.org or 419-423-1432.