WFMZ’s 10th Annual Food Truck Food Drive kicks off this Saturday at Dorney Park | Allentown Area

NAZARETH, Pa. (WFMZ) — WFMZ’s 10th Annual Food Truck Food Drive is this Saturday at Dorney Park from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

All food donations benefit Second Harvest Food Bank.

69 News followed a can on its journey from the time it’s donated to getting in the hands of people in need.

While shelves are overflowing with donations during the holidays, keeping them stocked in the spring and summer can be a challenge.

“We always see a little bit of decline after the holiday season in our donations so having the food truck food drive at the end of April is a great time for the community to come together, bringing food as donations into the food bank,” said Nicole Folino, Community Services Manager at Second Harvest Food Bank.

From the time a can is donated, it’s taken by truck to Second Harvest Food Bank.

“When the food first comes into the food bank, we sort it all into meaningful categories like grains, vegetables and protein,” Folino explained.

Proteins like eggs, meat, cans of tuna and chicken and containers of peanut butter, Folino said, are in high demand and needed the most.

“We take all of the protein out of the bin and we put it up onto the table and then we grab our proteins and we put it in our assorted box and we will typically get that up to a 25lb box. Once it’s in the box, we tape it, palletize it and put it on our inventory ordering system so our pantry network can order it, put it on their shelves so that neighbors can come in and select the food that are the most nutritious and appropriate for their families,” Folino stated.

One such pantry is at New Bethany which serves 30 families a day in Bethlehem, Fountain Hill and Hellertown.

“At this point, we do rely on Second Harvest for about 80% of the items we need to fulfill that new demand. We get a truck from them once a week and it’s about 4,000lbs – 5,000lbs and by the time the week is out, it’s gone. They play a massive role in what we’re doing here,” said Brandy Garofalo, New Bethany’s Food Access Director.

New Bethany’s pantry is set up like a grocery store so families can select what they need off the shelves.

“We want to ensure that we have as much of a variety as possible so that we’re ready for anything and everything that someone might need. Hunger doesn’t take a break so we need that kind of help year-round,” Garofalo concluded.