Et cetera : AmeriCorps NCCC team joins Community Harvest Food Bank

By: Rachel Anderson

An AmeriCorps NCCC team traveled from Vinton, IA to Fort Wayne, IN to assist Community Harvest Food Bank (CHFB) in providing fresh nutritious produce to those who have fallen on hard times.

In a city where approximately 12.5% of the population is below the poverty line, CHFB provides a light of hope to over 90,000 families annually. The NCCC team is very excited to get the opportunity to work with Community Harvest Food Bank, “I can’t wait to get to work, they [CHFB] do so much here”, announced team member David Albrecht. The NCCC team is composed of nine members in their early 20’s who have come from all over the nation to do ten months of service.

The food bank targets those at 125% poverty, or the “working poor”. Many who they serve are those who have fallen under hard times, but who do not necessarily qualify for government aid or who are waiting to receive it. Those who need immediate assistance can be referred to Community Harvest’s Community Cupboard. The Community Cupboard is one of the many branches that the NCCC team is assisting the food bank on. It is an area set up like a grocery store so that people can pick up the food they think they will need. The NCCC team is assisting in maintaining as well as expanding this area. This is very rewarding work, because we know that what we do benefits so many members of the community”, expressed member Rachel Anderson.

What the team is perhaps most looking forward to is Community Harvest’s Saturday weekly distributions. Up to hundreds of people flock to Community Harvest Saturday morning just to receive a bag full of food. People start lining up hours early because they may have nowhere else to go. The NCCC team is assisting on these mornings, which gives the team an opportunity to see for themselves how much CHFB makes a difference. “This is so different than anything we have done before, I am excited for the new experience” explains member Katie Singleton.

Community Harvest Food Bank works with local retailers to receive as much fresh, nutritious and locally grown food as possible. This way many farmers and companies that are assisting CHFB are benefiting their own community, while those who come to CHFB are receiving fresh and highly nutritious produce. In order to increase the amount of fresh produce to be made available, the AmeriCorps NCCC team is assisting in renovating a building on North Coliseum Blvd. that will allow the CHFB to store more fresh food. The NCCC team is also assisting in renovating their primary location on East Tillman Rd. that will be used as a repacking station. This will allow the food bank to accept much larger portions of meat. Both the NCCC team and CHFB are very excited for the five weeks that the NCCC team will be in Fort Wayne.