Tuesday at the Wright State Nutter Center, The Foodbank held a mass food distribution for residents of Greene County. The Foodbank served almost 1,400 households, about twice as many as were served at distribution events in previous years at the Nutter Center.
Lines of vehicles snaked around the parking lot as volunteers loaded vegetables and cans of beans into the trunks of cars. Traffic piled up on nearby Colonel Glenn Highway and North Fairfield Road.
The Foodbank had asked the public not to arrive before 9 a.m. and said that anyone in line before 12 p.m. would be served.
Nancy Kiehl of Clayton waited in a line of traffic starting at around 9 a.m. to collect food for an elderly friend. At 12 p.m. she said police drove by and announced that the gates were shut.
“After sitting in my car for three hours and realizing I was one of thousands waiting, it was just a debilitating experience. And I know there's just a lot of hungry families out there,” she said.
Lee Lauren Truesdale, Chief Development Officer at The Foodbank, said in an email that anyone who was on Raider Road by 12 p.m. was served.
“Safety comes first every time, and we worked with the police to coordinate the best way to close to incoming traffic right at noon,” she said. “We are seeing unprecedented numbers right now.”
The Foodbank’s drive-through pantry will be open Wednesday at 56 Armor Place in Dayton from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The drive-through will also be open on April 27 and 29 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Foodbank can connect residents with local food pantries and can be reached at (937) 461-0265 or on its Facebook page.
