Food bank, People for People partner to deliver food to small communities
People for People driver Karin Smith (left) and Othello Food Bank director Sharon Mobley (right) load up the People for People bus with food to be delivered to recipients in Hatton. Delivering food bank boxes to Hatton is result of a new partnership between the food bank and People for People.
People for People driver Karin Smith loads her bus with food destined for Othello Food Bank customers in Hatton. The delivery is part of a partnership between the food bank and People for People.
Karin Smith, driver for People for People, loads food from the Othello Food Bank for delivery to Hatton. The delivery is the result of a new partnership between the two organizations.
Sharon Mobley loads food into the People for People bus for transport to Hatton for distribution to food bank clients. The delivery is the result a new partnership between the food bank and People for People.
OTHELLO — In the era of COVID-19, community organizations have begun partnering in ways they might not have otherwise. Two such organizations are the Othello Food Bank and People For People.
“When this COVID thing started, we started calling food banks and senior centers to see if there was any way to help with transportation,” said Rosenda Henley, mobility manager/travel trainer for People For People (PFP).
PFP’s goal was to help seniors get access to food they may not be able to get otherwise. While most places that PFP called already had a way to deliver their meals or food boxes, the Othello Food Bank did not.
“They were interested in helping with doing outreach,” said Sharon Mobley, manager for the Othello Food Bank. “They wanted to know if we had any seniors. They would, in turn, deliver to any food bank clients, as long as there was a senior.”
Since there are senior citizens in both Hatton and the MarDon area who receive assistance from the Othello Food Bank, the entire community now has the ability to get needed food.
“Once a week, we go to the food bank in Othello,” Henley said. “We pick up the boxes, load the bus and take them to the city clerk in Hatton.”
Approximately 28 food boxes are delivered to Hatton each week. Prior to the deliveries, there were only three or four households that benefited from the food bank.
“We have had a good response,” Mobley said. “We can serve anyone in that area. A lot of people in Hatton didn’t realize that they could come. They (PFP) have been really instrumental in getting food out to places that are harder to get to.”
Anyone wishing to receive food should contact the Othello Food Bank at 509-488-6044. It is located at 49 E. Main St., in Othello, across from Time Out Pizza. The food bank is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
