For the next two weeks at four locations across the state, 70 National Guard members will be assisting Kentucky food pantries.
On Monday, 20 National Guard members helped prepare food deliveries for God’s Pantry Food Bank in Lexington after Gov. Andy Beshear announced last week the guard would lend a helping hand.
The guardsmen and women’s work with God’s Pantry helped prepare products to ship for the 400 food programs that God’s Pantry supports in Central and Eastern Kentucky.
God’s Pantry has been busy during the coronavirus pandemic. CEO Michael Halligan said the pantry has seen about a 35 percent increase in the need for food assistance across the 50 counties God’s Pantry serves, but in some counties, that need has swelled by as much as 80 percent.
Halligan said they expect to pack 10,000 boxes of nutritious food. The boxes contain about five to seven days of meals.
“The best thing that folks can do to help us right now is make a financial contribution,” Halligan said, noting their donations can be made online at godspantry.org.
Good Pantry expects to spend $750,000 on food during the next 30 days.
This story was originally published April 07, 2020 2:57 PM.