More families get free food from USDA

Published 9:32 am Tuesday, October 20, 2020

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This time the food giveaway went without a hitch.

The USDA’s Farmers to Families program had experienced long lines at Legacy Grove and on Lexington Avenue on Oct. 9 when it gave away 300 boxes of food to people in need, but when it did its second distribution Monday, there was no traffic congestion and no waiting.

The distribution this week was at the former car dealership off I-64 near the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Maple Expressway. 

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“It’s been great,” said Debbie Fatkin, who runs Clark County Community Services and coordinated the distribution. 

The distribution was scheduled for 10 a.m., but the truck arrived three hours early, and volunteers started loading food into cars and trucks by 8:30 a.m.

“I probably have a little over 200 boxes left, and we’re going to be here until they’re all gone,” Fatkin said just after noon. “It’s been great.”

Among those helping Community Services distribute the food for the second time were members of the George Rogers Clark High School Lady Cardinals basketball team.

This time, the truck delivered 1,300 boxes — more than four times as many as on Oct. 9. Three hundred of those were to go to Community Services’ seniors, and Fatkin said Monday that Ark of Mercy, a local church that provides food for people in need, got some boxes to give away.

The Farmers to Families program is a coronavirus relief effort of the U.S. Department of Agriculture created to help farmers who have trouble marketing their produce, dairy and meats during the pandemic and families who need food assistance who are out of work, although there are no income or other guidelines for receiving the food. 

About Randy Patrick

Randy Patrick is a reporter for Bluegrass Newsmedia, which includes The Jessamine Journal. He may be reached at 859-759-0015 or by email at randy.patrick@bluegrassnewsmedia.com.

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