Joining Together to Feed Our Community

Thanks to a collaboration between the US Department of Agriculture, the Allen County Department of Environmental Management, and Associated Churches of Fort Wayne and Allen County, a food distribution endeavor has been realized this summer.

The program, which ran from June 11, 2020 through August 27, 2020, saw a total of 384,000 pounds of fresh produce being received and distributed through Associated Churches. The value of the distributed food was $645,000. The program was made possible thanks to the co-ordination of Jodi Leamon, Sustainability Coordinator for the Allen County Department of Environmental Management and her work with Food Rescue US.

The produce for the program was made possible thanks to the efforts of USDA. The produce was made available to help offset the increased food demand brought on as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While some of the produce was made available to the 23 food pantries of the Associated Churches Food Network, the majority of the food (over 93%) was distributed to 40 social services agencies in Allen County to assist their programs and efforts during the pandemic.

A special THANK YOU goes out to the USDA, Allen County DEM, Food Rescue US, Associated Churches and all the volunteers who helped make the program a success.