Twenty-Four Hundred Boxes Of Food To Be Given Away

WASHBURN COUNTY -- According to a press release from Washington, D.C. on October 5 of this year, "Following President Donald Trump's approval to include up to an additional $1 billion in the Farmers to Families Food Box Program, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had approved contract awards to vendors to distribute free food to those who are in need, thereby supporting the farmer's during this COVID-19 pandemic."

Since the program's inception in May of this year, over 101.7 million nutritious food boxes were delivered throughout the United States, including 39 Wisconsin counties. This free food distribution helps keep farmers and ranchers in business due to the loss of sales to restaurants, hotels, and other food outlets.

It was Linda Hand, head of Washburn County's Unit on Aging & the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), who became aware that this program was available through their membership with Meals on Wheels America.

Many phone calls later, she has, along with other service departments, arranged for two Food Box deliveries. Each distribution to be held on a Wednesday. The first being October 21 and the second one on October 28 and each at the County Highway shop located across the Spooner Hospital and Clinic, which are located on County Highway H, between Highway's 53/63 in Spooner.

There are no requirements to receive a free box, and no personal information will be requested. THERE WILL BE ONLY ONE BOX DISTRIBUTED PER EACH VEHICLE.

The semi usually arrives around 9a and is then unloaded by the volunteers. Two hundred of the first boxes will be off-loaded for distribution to the Unit on Aging Meals on Wheels clients.

The rest will then be loaded into the waiting vehicles, starting at 10a and continuing until gone.

Each of the 1,200 boxes contains twenty-two pounds of food that includes 1 gallon of milk, 5 to 6 pounds of produce such as onions, carrots, potatoes or apples, two dairy products, usually cheese, yogurt, or butter, and two pre-cooked types of meat, such as pulled pork and chicken.

Each of these boxes is worth approximately $55, and they will be distributed until gone with ONLY ONE BOX PER VEHICLE.

The ADRC's FaceBook page is the best place for further information under their new EVENTS information.