ELIZABETH CITY – Food Bank of the Albemarle announces that the Mobile Food Pantry serving western Bertie County will continue to provide nutritious food to those in need thanks to a $10,000 grant from The Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation and a donation of more than 21,000 pounds of chicken.

The Mobile Food Pantry serves the residents of the Lewiston-Woodville, Kelford and Roxobel areas of the county.

“The Perdue Foundation is one of our strongest partners in the fight against hunger,” said Executive Director Liz Reasoner. “We are especially grateful for the continued funding support and protein donations made by Perdue to help the families facing food insecurity in western Bertie County.”

More than 4,600 people in Bertie County, or 22.7 percent of the county population, are food insecure with an estimated 930 being children under 18 years of age. According to the NC Department of Health and Human Services, there are over 2,000 senior citizens living at or below the poverty line in Bertie County.

The mobile pantry is held the third Monday of each month at the First Baptist Church located at 408 E. Church Street in Kelford from 3:30-4:30 p.m. The distribution is currently serving an average of 169 individuals per month, and provides much-needed protein, fresh produce and other nutritious food to the hungry men, women and children of the area.

Of all households who receive food assistance in Bertie County, 19 percent are served through the Food Bank’s mobile food pantry. The Food Bank estimates that Bertie County residents will receive more than 78,000 meals through the mobile food pantry through June 2019.

“The Mobile Pantry Program in Bertie County is providing a powerful resource in the fight against hunger and a platform for our associates to engage in helping their neighbors,” said Jeff Stalls, director of Perdue operations in Lewiston. “There are so many people right here in our local communities who struggle to put food on the table. We’re proud to continue our support through our partnership with the Food Bank of the Albemarle.”

Many clients of Food Bank of the Albemarle have health issues, limited access to health services and are unaware of the resources available to help them gain self-sustainability. For this reason, Food Bank staff provide the mobile food pantry clients with on-site outreach, education and when possible, health screenings through engagement with community resources such as Vidant Bertie Hospital, Albemarle Regional Health Services and Roanoke-Chowan Community Health Center. Additionally, the hunger-relief organization will collaborate with the Bertie County Cooperative Extension Service to provide the clients with resources and guidance on nutrition and healthy eating.

For more information about Food Bank of the Albemarle’s Mobile Food Pantry programs, visit www.afoodbank.org, or call Kathy Johnson, Director of Programs, at 252-335-4035, ext. 102.

For more information about Perdue, contact Bill See, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications and Community Relations, with Perdue Farms at 410-341-2412 (office) or 443-235-3500 (cell), or by email at bill.see@perdue.com.