Feed Louisville received the largest donation in its history this week, but 75 to 80 percent of it was already gone by Friday afternoon. The nonprofit’s inventory manager confirmed that community need still far outpaces what the organization can provide.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated 30,000 pounds of food as part of America’s 250th birthday celebration. Food banks, however, are facing a growing challenge: more people need help, but not enough food is coming in to meet that demand.
Food goes out within days
Warren Ashley, Feed Louisville’s inventory manager, said the nonprofit received the donation on Wednesday.
“We took that in on Wednesday, and we have 75 to 80 percent of it already gone by this point on Friday afternoon,” Ashley said.
Ashley said Feed Louisville reached out to its partners as soon as it learned the donation was coming. Within an hour, a quarter of those partners had responded, and that food was already gone.
“There is a deep need that this helped, you know, put a band-aid on, but there’s so much more we can do in the community,” Ashley said.
Ashley said the nonprofit struggles to keep its shelves stocked for more than 24 hours at a time.
“Things come in, and typically it’s less than a two-day turnaround for going back out into the community,” Ashley said. “And even at the point we’re operating at now, taking in between 10 and 15,000 pounds regularly a week, there’s so much more need out there that we can’t address yet.”
About the donation
The donation consists of dry goods and pantry staples, and it could produce between 50,000 and 60,000 meals.
The church has been sending food to communities across the country as part of the anniversary celebration. Louisville received its share this week.
Phillip Beaman said the church distributed food trucks all over the country and that Louisville was “picked to be able to receive some additional food.”
“This food supply will be able to serve thousands of people through the holiday season and help sustain the most vulnerable people in our community. And that’s wonderful,” Beaman said.
Beaman said church members volunteer at Feed Louisville on a regular basis. “My son actually is a missionary for our church, and he comes here every Tuesday and serves with Feed Louisville and helps put food together,” he said.
Where the food goes
The church’s donation will flow to community kitchens and nonprofits that serve people dealing with homelessness, drug addiction, and other hardships.
Ashley said Feed Louisville has outreach organizations “in all four corners.” Community kitchens are using the food to prepare more hot meals to serve directly, and it also reaches people in halfway programs and drug recovery.
Ashley said Feed Louisville uses about 20 to 25 percent of everything it takes in for its own operations. The rest supports direct outreach work, producing between 500 and 800 meals every single day.
The donation will not fully close the gap in need. Ashley hopes it will inspire others in the community to step up and help.
“I would like to say that this is kind of a perfect kickoff point,” Ashley said. “Going into the winter season is the most difficult time in any kind of outreach work. It is the most dangerous time and it is the time when people are the most in need of resources.”
Ashley encouraged people to use the donation “as an initiative point to look into both Feed Louisville and other outreach organizations in the community to see what you can do to help prepare individuals and communities for this difficult time of year.”
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