Huge food distribution set for Friday in Monessen
By TAYLOR BROWN
tbrown@yourmvi.com
After securing additional funding, the Farmers to Families Food Box program will provide support in the Mon Valley.
The program, part of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, was developed last May in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program was continued for four more rounds of distribution through Dec. 30 before it was scheduled to run out of funding.
Additional money for the program, about $1.5 billion, was included in the COVID-19 relief package as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act passed Dec. 21.
So far, the USDA has distributed more than 132 million food boxes in support of American farmers and families affected by the pandemic.
This time, in the fifth-round distribution, the effort will make an impact locally in the Mon Valley.
Farmers to Families will bring fresh meats, produce and dairy products to Monessen and surrounding communities at no cost to residents, thanks to a group of local volunteers.
Monessen Mayor Matt Shorraw said several community organizations have come together to create what could be the largest food distribution event in recent history.
“This is the first time in my memory a distribution this large will be in the city,” he said.
On Friday, an 18-wheeler truck will bring 1,100 boxes of fresh food to the Herman Mihalich River Launch Park on Monongahela Street in Monessen.
From 9 a.m. to noon, Mon Valley residents will be able to pick up boxes of fresh produce, dairy products, milk, meat products and seafood products on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Farmers to Families program will continue in Monessen every week through April.
“We’re really excited about this distribution, and we are blessed to have this opportunity,” Shorraw said. “This will be a way to help fill in the gaps that exist and supplement what other food banks and distribution sites are already doing. With this distribution, we will not only be able to help people in Monessen, but also in the immediate area.”
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