Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Fill the Food Bank kicked off early Friday morning, aiming to raise 350,000 meals for those in need this holiday season.
Starting at 6 a.m. and lasting until 6 p.m., volunteers will be at the Walmart located at 1815 E. Highland Drive, as well as 15 satellite locations across Northeast Arkansas, taking food and monetary donations.
“Fill the Food Bank is our biggest event of the year that we do,” said Chrissy Holbrook, Food Bank of NEA development officer. “We host it right before Thanksgiving, as a way to help provide meals for our neighbors facing hunger during the holidays.”
The 350,000 meal goal would provide food for those in need for two weeks, Holbrook said, and that each dollar raised would provide about three meals.
Holbrook said any monetary and food donations collected in a particular county will stay in that county. There are donation locations in Craighead, Greene, Jackson, Randolph, St. Francis, Mississippi, Poinsett and Lawrence counties.
All donation locations are listed below:
- Walmart Supercenter: 1815 E. Highland, Jonesboro
- Walmart Supercenter: 1911 W. Parker Road, Jonesboro
- Neighborhood Walmart: 3319 Harrisburg Road, Jonesboro
- Sam’s Club: 2405 S. Caraway Road, Jonesboro
- Harps: 8107 US-49 N., Brookland
- Walmart Supercenter: 2802 W. Kingshighway, Paragould
- Neighborhood Walmart: 2600 Linwood Drive, Paragould
- Walmart Supercenter: 1211 Highway 367 N., Newport
- Walmart: 1600 W. Main St., Walnut Ridge
- Walmart Supercenter: 3700 E. State Highway 18, Blytheville
- Walmart Supercenter: 2720 W. Keiser Ave., Osceola
- Walmart Supercenter: 512 Industrial Park Drive, Trumann
- Edwards Food Giant: 605 N. Illinois Ave., Harrisburg
- Walmart Supercenter: 1415 Highway 67 S., Pocahontas
- Walmart Supercenter: 205 Deadrick Road, Forrest City
Holbrook said the Food Bank of NEA has seen an influx of people seeking food recently.
“Our community comes together when we need it the most here in Northeast Arkansas, and right now, food insecurity is the real issue that we’re facing, and I think our community knows that,” Holbrook said. “In the last few weeks, we’ve really seen them come together and fight hunger in a way that’s just mind-blowing to me.”
Non-perishable, non-expired food not in glass containers will be accepted. Canned goods, as well as items like peanut butter and macaroni and cheese, are also welcome. Monetary donations can be made at any of the donation stations or online here. One can also text “NEAFOOD” to 44321.
Elizabeth Johnson, donor engagement coordinator at the Food Bank of NEA, said several people have signed up to volunteer at various satellite locations. Volunteers are working to collect donations and sort them for the food bank.
A few slots to volunteer at Fill the Food Bank are still open, which can be found here.
“Having people participate and volunteer is very important, because we couldn’t do this without our volunteers,” Johnson said.
K8 and the Jonesboro Media Group (JMG) are sponsoring the event. Trey Stafford, JMG president and general manager, said Fill the Food Bank is an opportunity to “superserve” the community.
“We are licensed by the FCC to ‘serve our communities.’ My philosophy has already been: if you ‘superserve’ your communities, the rest will take care of itself,” Stafford said. “We search for opportunities to superserve, and this is one of them.”