The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank’s Senior Mobile Unit provides area seniors with a much-needed month
The Food Bank currently operates seven drop-off points and is looking to expand to an eighth drop sometime in the first quarter of the year. More than 360 boxes are distributed each month at the sites.
Seniors are provided with a box of staple goods as well as a personal bag when available that includes Ensure and Depends, said Trina Wilson, volunteer and SNAP outreach coordinator at the Food Bank. The boxes include such items as canned vegetables, canned meat, snack food, cereal bars, macaroni and cheese and cereal. The boxes are meant as a supplement to the grocery needs of the seniors who participate, said Wilson.
Lorene Easter of Prairie Grove comes to Fayetteville each month. The box of food she receives helps her raise her two grandkids. “I appreciate everyone that helps,” she said. Seniors who come to the mobile units must show identification to verify residential status, Wilson said. In addition, they will be asked about their income as part of the United States Department of Agriculture requirements but no verification is required.
“I like helping others and my 90-year-old grandmother receives the benefits (of a food box),” said Julie Patrick, a volunteer from the Walmart Optical Lab 9149, which provides three to four volunteers each month at the Fayetteville pickup point. Walmart matches the hours the volunteers work and sends a monetary donation to the Food Bank, she added. “Giving back is a good feeling,” she said. “I know how much it helps my grandmother. Every little bit helps them out.”
Tommy Wilson, who has been volunteering for approximately two years at Fayetteville, Lowell, and Elkins, likes helping somebody. “It’s my duty in life to serve.” Recipient Dorothy Vega said her food box helps her because her Social Security pays for the rent and other essentials.
The monthly visits also are an opportunity to ask if seniors are receiving SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits and then provide information on how to get on the program, if they aren’t, Wilson said.
The boxes are preassembled at the Food Bank’s warehouse on June Self Drive in Lowell. Wilson said she is looking for volunteers to help. For more information, contact her at trina.wilson@nwafoodbank.org.
Currently, the Senior Mobile Unit is at the following locations and times:
Fayetteville, first Thursday, Wedington Place Apartments, 3130 Telluride Drive, 8 to 9:15 a.m.
Bentonville, second Thursday, Benton County Senior Activity and Wellness Center, 3501 SE L St., 8 to 9:15 a.m.
Bella Vista, second Thursday, Fire Station No. 1, Town Center West, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Elkins, third Thursday, Community Center, 162 Doolin Drive, 8 to 9:15 a.m.
Huntsville, third Thursday, Senior Center, 903 N. College, 1 to 1:30 p.m.
Siloam Springs, fourth Thursday, Senior Activity Center, 750 Heritage Court, 8 to 9:15 a.m.
Lowell, fourth Thursday, Senior Activity Center, 704 E, Monroe, noon to 1:30 p.m.
The Northwest Arkansas Food Bank serves more than 150 food pantries and agencies in a four-county area – Benton, Carroll, Madison and Washington.
