A lot of things have changed for us all. One thing that is for certain on our end is perception. This includes several aspects of daily life; socializing, shopping, thinking, traveling, and yes, eating. Fad diets will always be a thing. If you’re a vegan, good for you! If keto is your thing, well we say go for it. Paleo? Sure, if you can eat healthy safely, we’re all for it. The perception of “diet” has been a polarizing one, and it boils down to one main concept. That would be eating.

While you’re hopefully practicing social distancing, we ask you to join us in a comprehensive breakdown of how COVID-19 has affected your thought process. As a food bank, we don’t get to choose what we receive. We are thankful to have wonderful partnerships that have grown throughout the past decade. Operation Blessing is one of those. They have blessed us with the responsibility of distributing their food products to McDowell County citizens, and we couldn’t be more grateful. Many folks don’t know what it was like before Operation Blessing and other opportunities that have allowed us to improve. This is where perception comes in.

When we first began, many of our shipments came in large boxes that required sorting. We would go through the products that came as a
team and divide them into categories. These products had a wide range of criteria that we won’t bore you with, but needless to say, we needed to build an organizational system fast. So we did. Our shipments weren’t always the “healthiest” of options, but again we were thankful. As we continued to organize, improve facilities, paint walls, fix leaks and floors, develop sections of the warehouse, so did our media attention. This began building something special, one partnership at a time.

Through the media attention we received, there were several questions that would arise about the food. Maybe we had an open box of cakes or sugared cereal they came across. Maybe there was a large pallet of soda they would focus on. Perhaps they saw a bin of chocolate candies
or honey buns, or heaven forbid, a bundle of pixie sticks. “What would you say to someone about why you give out food with high sugar or fat
content?” Our reply would always be the same. It’s something.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we hope you realize we’re all human, and more importantly in this together. Keep eating your vegetables
and your low-carb diets, they’re good for you if done safely. Keep maintaining your health and fitness, drinking that protein shake after lifting
weights in your garage, and building each other up during these times. Just don’t forget that not everyone has the luxury of choosing. No matter the person that comes through our line, the overwhelming response to our buggies is one thing. They’re thankful to continue living.

Stay safe and healthy, friends. May the Lord bless you all, and may our tables be full during these hard times.