SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (KMTR) -- A local school is stepping up and pitching in for the second year in a row.
Food for Lane County and Guy Lee Elementary in Springfield are pairing up to host their second annual mobile food pantry starting Saturday, September 15th. This time it is not a pilot program, but something more permanent.
Guy Lee Elementary started the Mobile Pantry in 2011, helping needy families fill boxes of food. In 2011, they were able to help about sixty families. Now that the program is more permanent, coordinators expect to help about one hundred families, some for the first time.
"Really, one of the big needs that I have found working with families is the working poor. They may not have access to other food assistance, so sometimes they just need that little bit extra to help supplement what they're already working very hard to provide for their families," explained Guy Lee Elementary's family center and resource coordinator, Julie Meehan.
Meehan told NewsSource 16 the program will allow families to take home about four boxes of food home including fresh produce, which is rare at food pantries. She also said they try to make the experience fun rather than daunting.
The Mobile Pantry will run every third Saturday through May at Guy Lee Elementary, 755 Harlow Road, Springfield, in the cafeteria. Hours of operation will be 10 AM until 11:30 AM.
Food for Lane County plans to extend the program to Hamlin Middle School in October.
