DECATUR — A line of cars stretching from Stadium Drive to the agriculture parking lot were all waiting for the start of the Decatur High School Food Giveaway program on Feb. 24.
Two truckloads of canned goods, packages of beans and rice, produce, peanut butter and hamburger meat were distributed during the three-hour event.
Andrea VanSandt, event coordinator, and 20 volunteer faculty, staff, students, and hourly workers gathered in the agriculture buildings around 12:30 p.m. to unload a truck of foodstuff from a pair of Benton County food bank trucks in preparation for the giveaway.
While VanSandt’s staff sorted the wide variety of food items into separate orders, residents and teachers from the Decatur area continued to arrive near Peterson Gym, waiting to pick up their food orders.
VanSandt’s crew was divided into five different work areas. While the first group sorted packages of rice, kidney beans, spaghetti, peanut butter, and canned spaghetti sauce, another group sorted bananas, carrots, canned vegetables, bacon, and blocks of frozen hamburger meat into another box.
After these items were separated, they were loaded into two wagons and transported to the giveaway site where bread and potatoes were added to each order. After VanSandt checked off names, two people loaded all the items into the vast array of cars, SUVs and trucks.
By the end of the day, the two truckloads of food items were reduced to a handful of items that were then taken to a few people unable to get to the giveaway site.
Mike Eckels may be reached by email at meckels@nwadg.com .