By Rob Tranchin, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-913304.mp3
Dallas, TX – Yesterday, the North Texas Food Bank and The Tarrant Area Food Bank each accepted a new delivery truck donated by Chase Bank. The bank is supplying 34 trucks to food banks in 20 communities across the country. KERA's Rob Tranchin says it's the trucks' refrigeration that makes them vehicles of hope.
The trucks are 24-foot refrigerated bobtail Freightliners, each with the capacity to carry 10 pallets stacked with food.
Jan Pruitt, president and CEO of the North Texas Food Bank in Dallas, says that food banks need more refrigerated trucks in part because the food being donated has changed.
Pruitt: When food banking started back in the early 80s our distribution was of cans and boxes, mainly dented cans and torn boxes. It was product that retail stores couldn't sell. If you go into your grocery store today, can and box aisles are shrinking, and fresh and frozen aisles are increasing, and because of that food banks have to look exactly the same way, we have to have the cooler space and the freezer space to handle those donations. Many of the people who come to a pantry to get food do not have health insurance, do not have access to medical care and we don't need to be another one of their problems by giving them empty calories.
Pruitt: And you know, a lot of the product that we get out of the produce aisles and the fresh meat counters that's really pretty good food.
At the Tarrant Area Food Bank in Fort Worth, Jim Macphearson called the donation vital to the effort to provide high quality food that can survive the Texas summer heat.
Macphearson: This truck will actually be picking up fresh produce: so we're talking about fresh tomatoes, apples, oranges, potatoes, frozen meals or frozen products such as one pound packages of beef or pork chops that now is going to be able to be captured as well. There is nothing more frustrating for those of us in food banking that can find food but can't find a way to get it to somebody. It's like standing on the side of a river with a life preserver and not being able to get it to somebody that's drowning.
Macphearson and Pruitt say the two new Freightliners will be able to deliver an additional one million pounds of food a year to hungry North Texans.
But the transportation gap has not yet been closed. The North Texas Food Bank estimates there may be 17 million more pounds of food out there that's now going to waste, food that volunteers could pick up and deliver.
All they need-- is more trucks.
If you know someone who is struggling to put food on the table dial 2-1-1 to find help in your community. You can find more on area food banks and pantries, information on the food stamp program and other economy-related issues at KERA.org/economy
Additional Links:
Dallas Health & Human Services