7 days ago
Dayton Foodbank debuts new food van for expanded deliveries
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The Dayton Foodbank is continuing efforts to tackle food insecurity throughout the Miami Valley.
Today saw the local nonprofit debut a new food van, which is possible thanks to the AES Ohio Foundation.
The van will ultimately deliver food to those who need it, offering an additional avenue to help those in the community. This is the second such van to arrive on behalf of the foodbank.
Lee Lauren Truesdale, chief development officer at the foodbank says that the van will serve to combat a concerning trend.
'Across Montgomery, Greene and Preble counties, which is the tri county service territory that the food bank does serve, we are seeing about 114,000 people who are reporting food insecurity,' Truesdale says. 'That number is up from prior years.'
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The mission of the Dayton Foodbank is one that the AES Ohio Foundation takes seriously as well, having bolstered the organization since 2004.
'We've supported two vans. one of our employee resource groups, the women of AES, are here today. They will be volunteering in the warehouse and also in the gardens,' said Vivian O'Connell, AES Ohio Impact Leader.
Truesdale adds that food insecurity has become even more complex after the Memorial Day tornados and the COVID-19 Pandemic.
'It really changed the game for us, and really many other nonprofits in the area thinking about how we address the needs of our community, making resources accessible, making sure that resources are meeting the community's unique needs as well. This van is a real critical part of that work.'
With the van, the foodbank is aiming to increase their total meals served from last year — approximately 15 million meals between three counties.
'Having this van allows us to go into other areas. So, if you think about maybe small communities or you think about neighborhoods where it's challenging to fit one of our large box trucks to make a delivery to a food pantry, to reach, outreach, directly to a client.'
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