COCHRAN, Ga. — Tuesday morning, volunteers were up bright and early at Bleckley County Middle School fighting against community hunger with their weekly food drive.
The Bleckley County School System partnered up with the USDA’s Farmers to Families distribution program to hand out groceries to over 700 people.
The program allows farmers to share their surplus crops and products with families suffering during the pandemic.
According to Bleckley Schools nutritional director, Kelli Green, each 20-pound box contains a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables for people to cook with.
Volunteers have put on the giveaway over the past four weeks and don’t plan on stopping until the end of August.
“We are so lucky to have a great group of volunteers, we have groups from churches locally that are picking up boxes and delivering boxes to the shut-ins,” says Green. “There's been a couple of weeks we couldn't have done it if we didn't have those extra hands getting boxes in cars.”
For volunteer Hannah Moseley, helping allows her to check in on the people of Cochran in more ways than one.
“I've been out here every week we've been doing it,” says Moseley. “They'll stay in their car and you'll get to see the people that you haven't been able to make contact with yet. You at least get to put your eyes on people and make sure everybody's OK.”
Moseley volunteers with her family and other members of Bethany Baptist Church.
The Bleckley County meal program will continue every Tuesday until the last week of August. Green asks that people come to Bleckley County Middle School at 9:30 in the morning.