During these uncertain times, it is important that we all take the guidelines presented by the CDC involving COVID-19 seriously. That is especially true for a place like McDowell County. With a large portion of the demographic being elderly, a lot of which who are raising grandchildren by themselves, a potential outbreak within the community could cause rampant devastation.

That being said, we must keep feeding people while taking ALL proper precautions. We have implemented a process involving 6 feet of separation from each person we serve, and also instilled a dual sanitation process for all buggies involved in our distributions. Instead of our
regular monthly group distributions, our new system involves scheduling one on one appointments with individuals. Currently, we are slotting up to 50 folks per day when possible. Sometimes this is four to five days per week.

We couldn’t be more thankful for Operation Blessing during these desperate times. Their drivers make the long commute to bring us thousands of pounds of food to distribute. If it wasn’t for their kindness and generosity to trust us with the responsibility of spreading their food across the county, it would be nearly impossible to operate. You can find out more about their mission by visiting www.ob.org.

It is our hope that we work as a team in Mcdowell County to prevent health and well-being by staying home when possible, avoiding approaching others within 6 feet of their range, washing our hands for at least 20 seconds (Sing Jesus Loves Me), and not touching our face until this is over (Although that will be a hard one). Please practice safety wherever you might be during this outbreak. We assure you that we will as well. Thank you to all that support us, as nobody working for our food bank is paid. The volunteers keep us going, and we can’t wait to have all of you back once this is over.

If you know someone in McDowell County who is struggling with feeding their families during the COVID-19 outbreak, tell them to do the following:

• Call the Food Bank at 304-585-7295
•  Leave a voicemail with your name and number of individuals in your family
• Wait for us to call you back
• Do not call more than once if your voicemail is successfully left
• Linda will schedule your appointment according to availability

If you’d like to donate to our mission, please visit our Paypal account located here.