THOMASVILLE — Second Harvest of South Georgia had no shortage of customers for its most recent food distribution.
Hundreds of cars were waiting on them as they opened up Friday morning at Thomas County Central High School for a giveaway sponsored by Envision Credit Union.
In all Second Harvest of South Georgia had seven-and-a-half truckloads of food to distribute. And the line of cars stretched around the high school and back along the bypass, almost to the intersection with County Line Road.
“We started out as an education-based credit union, so it just makes sense for us to work with the community during this time,’ said Kellie Merck, Envision’s Georgia community development manager. “We reached out to Second Harvest because they’re the ones feeding kids right now.”
Envision is donating $5,000 to Second Harvest and is asking the community to give another $5,000, which it will match.
“They are putting their money where their mouth is, and they are rolling up their sleeves,” Second Harvest’s Erika McCall said.
With the help of refrigerated trucks on hand, Second Harvest had milk, eggs and fresh produce available. The produce, McCall pointed out, was grade-A material.
“A lot of times when we got produce donated, it’s culled or it’s seconds,” she said. “It’s because a farmer or a packing shed has donated it. So it’s got a little age on it. There’s nothing wrong with it but it may not have the useful life once you get it home. This stuff is going to have more shelf life. We are excited to be able to offer it. We wouldn’t be able to offer a mixed box. It’s enough that it’s useful amount of everything.
The produce boxes were in different types, one with all vegetables, another with mixed fruit and another with cabbage, squash, zucchini, blueberries, bell peppers, onions and and apples.
“They are a pretty good mix,” McCall said. “What we’re getting each time within each shipment is a little different each time, just based on what is being harvested.”
Borden provided all the milk for the giveaway. Friday’s distribution was the first Second Harvest event in Thomasville to have the Farmers to Families food boxes. Those boxes are expected to be available at upcoming distributions through September.
Second Harvest also expects to have pre-cooked meat available in the near future.
Troops from the 1230th Transportation Company, the Georgia Army National Guard unit based in Thomasville, and other units under the Georgia Guard’s 78th Troop Command, helped out. Soldiers from the 110th Combat Service Support Battalion and the 221st Military Intelligence Battalion were on hand.
“As far as the 78th Troop Command, we’re very excited to be able to assist the citizens here,” said Brig. Gen. John Gentry, commander of the 78th.
Guardsmen also have been on hand at food distributions in Tifton and Valdosta. Gentry commended his soldiers and the efficiency Second Harvest displayed.
“I have been impressed at how they work extremely hard in preparing and packaging the meals,” he said. “I have been humbled by the fact I have been able to serve in this capacity.
“The key thing is we are Georgians helping Georgians.”
Merck and Envision also were impressed by the operation — and the number of people taking part.
“This is our first time coming to this, and it’s amazing,’ she said. “We’ve done food drives at the schools, but never to this magnitude. It’s unbelievable. it’s overwhelming. To see the people thanking us, it’s almost overwhelming. It makes us feel like what we did mattered.”
Second Harvest has distributed twice as much food this year, 4.8 million pounds, as it had at this point last year.
“If the need is like this now,” McCall said, “we are very concerned what the need is going to be like July 31, when unemployment benefits run out. We’re really concerned.”
Editor Pat Donahue can be reached at (229) 226-2400 ext. 1806.
