The Arkansas National Guard will host its first food drive Saturday to mark the 378th birthday of the National Guard.
The Guard, the oldest component of the U.S. Armed Forces, celebrates its birthday Dec. 13, a date that usually goes by without much fanfare, said Lt. Col. Matt Snead, an Arkansas Army National Guard spokesman.
"In the past, if we'd remember, we would make a social media post. This year, we want to do something different," Snead said. "We're community-based, so we thought, 'Let's do something to give back to the community.' It's the first time we've ever done anything like this."
Members of the Arkansas National Guard will volunteer to collect food donations from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at Sam's Club, 5600 Landers Road in North Little Rock.
If "Guard Against Hunger" goes well, Snead said, it will become an annual event, and it will be expanded to more locations across the state.
Guardsmen live in all 75 counties, and installations are present in about 60 Arkansas towns, according to the Guard's annual report.
"Since we're present across the state of Arkansas, we're hoping to go to more locations," Snead said. "We're testing it out now and keeping our fingers crossed."
On Dec. 13, 1636, the first U.S. militia was established in Salem, Mass., when the Massachusetts General Court declared that all able-bodied men between ages 16 and 60 were required to defend the Massachusetts Bay settlements, according to the National Guard Bureau.
The Arkansas National Guard traces its roots to 1804, when the territory's legislative body passed a law making all free men liable for military service. In 1846, the Arkansas militia formed when Gov. Thomas Drew called for volunteers to fight in the Mexican War, according to the Guard's website. State militias were renamed the National Guard in 1916.
All donations received on the Guard's birthday Saturday will be delivered to Arkansas Foodbank, which will distribute the items to pantries in the food bank's 33-county area.
Both perishable and nonperishable food will be accepted, Snead said. Ben E. Keith Company, a food service distributor based in North Little Rock, is providing a refrigerated trailer to store perishable items.
Through Saturday, people can also drop off nonperishable donations at Phillips Armory, located off Arkansas Avenue at Camp Robinson in North Little Rock.
Snead said the Guard hopes to collect as much food as possible, and it will set a goal for next year based on how much is donated Saturday. Recommended items include: bagged or canned beans, rice, pasta, peanut butter, canned fruits, canned low-sodium vegetables, tuna, canned meat, fruit juice, shelf-stable milk, oatmeal, cooking oil, low-sodium soups and stews, tomato sauce, and infant formula.
According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture from 2011 to 2013, Arkansas had the highest rate of food insecurity in the U.S., with 21.2 percent of residents not having reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food during those years.
"The reality is, people live in food deserts, in rural areas and poor areas that don't have quality grocery stores," Snead said. "We want as much food as possible, and at the same time, we are really trying to get good, whole foods."
Metro on 12/12/2014