Guest post by Food Shuttle Grants Administrator, Neely Monemi
Sarah of Micro, NC has been coming to Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Johnston County Mobile Market for two years. Waiting for the start of the event held on April 13, she said, “Being on a fixed income, it’s hard enough. With the way [food] prices are now, and then with all the bills, there’s just nothing left.” Jim from Selma agreed, adding that ongoing medical bills have increased the strain for him. He and good friend Luther have been attending this distribution in Smithfield for over a year and a half. Like Sarah, they said it is “one of the best ones,” not just for the quality of food but for the wonderful people, who truly care and run it so well. The need for healthy food brings them back each month, and they are not alone. Nearly 80,000 people across the Food Shuttle’s service area lost monthly benefits of at least $95 per family when the SNAP Emergency Allotments were rolled back in March. Over 9,000 of them live in Johnston County, including Sarah, Jim, and Luther.
Sarah
Jim and Luther
“Yup, they started lining up around 6:30 this morning,” said Rachel Ayers, looking out toward the cars lined up in neatly marked rows across the gravel lot in Smithfield. As a Food Shuttle agency partner, she runs this distribution each month. Glancing sideways at me, she continued with a patient smile, “as soon as your driver gets here, we’ll start packing.” Within 20 minutes of our truck’s arrival, long rows of empty boxes began filling with over 11,000 pounds of fresh, frozen and shelf stable food, and cars soon began to move through the line. Sarah and I waved to each other briefly as she came through, then I was right back to staging water bottles. Everyone who volunteers with Mrs. Rachel knows: she runs a tight ship.
The people serving that day were as varied as the food we packed and placed in the cars. In addition to Mrs. Ayers’ regular volunteers, there were members of a local church, another local non-profit, a Food Shuttle funding partner, and a member of the Smithfield Police Department. With a sharp eye and a calm demeanor, Mrs. Ayers kept seasoned and new volunteers alike all working together toward one goal: just keep that line moving. As one item ran low, another was staged to take its place. Each box was packed carefully to ensure the most consistent menu possible of meat, produce, bread, soup, dairy, and more. When it was finally all distributed by 11:45 a.m., the line had never backed up once. We had kept a slow, steady pace throughout the morning.
Powerhouse community organizers like Rachel Ayers are crucial to serving our neighbors experiencing hunger. We rely on their deep local knowledge to provide the types of food preferred by the people in their neighborhoods, and trust them to distribute it safely and efficiently. As the last few cars were loaded, a soft-spoken lady found her way under the tent. The way Mrs. Ayers greeted her told me there was something special about her. When she was introduced to me as Mrs. Louella Neal, who runs our Mobile Market in Kenly, NC, I understood. Both women had the same quiet but palpable strength underneath their sweet smiles. When Mrs. Ayers described how wonderful Mrs. Neal’s distribution is set up and how well she runs it, I didn’t doubt her for a second. As a grant writer I don’t get out much, but I’ll be looking for a chance to get over to Kenly one day soon.
Louella Neal and Rachel Ayers