The Foodbank’s Chico McKinney and volunteers move food into the Cornerstone Assembly of God Church.

Volunteers set up the church’s multipurpose room for the food distribution.

By Samantha Wright

BSU Public Radio

It’s still dark outside when Chico McKinney drives away from the Idaho Foodbank in Boise with nearly 8,000 pounds of food. “Of course this is Idaho, we have a wide variety of potatoes, we have some frozen French fries, some dehydrated mashed potatoes and some dehydrated hash browns…”

Plus cheese, bread, frozen meat, and peanut butter. All of this is for Weiser’s first Mobile Food Pantry. “A mobile pantry is when we drop off food and distribute it directly out of the truck in communities that don’t have an actual brick and mortar pantry.”

Usually the Foodbank delivers food to permanent pantries, that turn around and give it to those in need. But in 30 communities, there’s no group on the ground with the facilities to store food. As the Foodbank’s Agency Relations Specialist, part of McKinney’s job is to change that. The mobile pantry is the first step.

In Washington County, where Weiser is located, there’s an estimated 1,700 people who can’t meet their food needs.

Read or listen to the rest of the story and see more photos at http://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/post/mobile-pantry-helps-bridge-food-gap-idaho-towns.

Pastor Kyle Mazac (white hat) and church volunteers.

Some people are feeding extended family and friends in the same household.

Volunteers are a crucial part of any Foodbank activity, including Mobile Pantries.

Click on photos to enlarge.

Laurie Lickley of The Idaho Foodbank receives a check from Southwind Farms presented by Mark Klompien, President of Idaho Grower Shippers.

Volunteers from Cooper Norman Certified Public Accountants load the spuds.

As part of The Idaho Foodbank’s continuing service to the Magic Valley and the Idaho potato industry’s commitment to fight hunger in Idaho, Cummins Family Produce distributed 8,000 pounds of fresh Idaho potatoes to Foodbank partner agencies on Friday, Jan. 25.

The donation is the final portion of the Idaho Grower Shippers Association’s commitment to donate a truckload of potatoes as part of Community Cares Day in December. IGSA members have already donated 28,000 pounds as part of its program “The Idaho Potato Industry Unites Against Hunger.”

In 2012, The Idaho Foodbank, working through nonprofit partners across the Magic Valley, gave out 1.45 million pounds of food to hungry Idahoans in the six-country area.

On Friday, Jan. 25, volunteers from the Twin Falls accounting firm Cooper Norman loaded the 8,000 pounds of locally grown potatoes – in the form of 160 50-pound boxes – directly into the vehicles of several of the Foodbank’s Magic Valley partners. Those nonprofit agencies will now distribute the highly valued potatoes to hungry Magic Valley families.

In addition to the potato distribution, Mark Klompien, President of the Idaho Grower Shippers Association, was on hand to answer questions about Idaho’s potato industry, and Lance Cummins from Cummins Family Produce gave warehouse tours. Cummins Family Produce in Twin Falls; along with Magic Valley Produce of Paul; Arrowhead, Sun Valley Potatoes, Mart Produce and Southwind Farms of Rupert all donated potatoes during Community Cares Day in December.