Alfred State volunteers join others to help with food distribution event

With over 300 pre-packed boxes to hand out at a recent food distribution drive-thru event, more than a dozen Alfred State College (ASC) faculty and staff members stepped up alongside other volunteers to provide food to those in need.

Foodlink, an organization dedicated to fighting hunger and building healthier communities, coordinated the two-hour event, which took place at Alfred-Almond Central School. The event was developed in response to food insecurity caused by COVID-19, and sought to provide staple items where food is difficult to access or there is lack of availability.

Volunteers from Alfred State, ACCORD, the Alfred Community Food Pantry, and Alfred-Almond Central School (AACS) were on hand to assist with registration, food distribution, and traffic control. In addition to providing University Police officers, Alfred State also dispatched Big Blue and Santa Claus, who teamed up with the AACS Eagle and the Head Start Bee to help boost morale.

In order to maintain proper social distancing, guests were required to remain in their vehicles as they pulled into the school parking lot. Volunteers registered the guests and loaded the food boxes, which were provided by Foodlink.

Each family received one box of food, which contained the same contents and amount of items, and was served on a first-come, first-served basis. Items included pasta, soups, fruit jelly, sauces, apples, carrots, a gallon of milk, cheese, and bread. The majority of the boxes were distributed within an hour, with the last box given out about an hour and a half after the event began.

Those who arrived after the last box of food was distributed received gallons of milk and were provided with referrals to local food pantries, which can be obtained by calling the 211 Helpline, according to Belinda Knight, director of Community Operations at ACCORD.

“ACCORD’s pantry also serves the entire county and can offer delivery,” Knight said.  “Locally, the Alfred food pantry and Almond food pantries can fill those needs.”

Offering his thoughts on the event and Alfred State’s involvement, Jonathan Hilsher, director of ASC’s Center for Civic Engagement, said, “It is amazing to see the Alfred State faculty and staff stepping up to support this event to address food insecurity in our area. I especially appreciated the collaboration alongside ACCORD, Foodlink, Alfred-Almond Central School, and local food pantries. A special thanks to Belinda Knight for pulling us all together to make this happen.”