Hiwassee Dam – At 11:30 a.m. May 17, a steady line of vehicles with their trunks opened proceeded to drive slowly through the parking lot of the Hiwassee Dam Community Center on N.C. 294.
On the third Wednesday of each month, Manna FoodBank from Asheville makes a large delivery of groceries – including items like melons, milk, vegetables, canned goods, fruit, peanut butter and many other staples – to the community center to be picked up by residents needing a little extra help these days.
Relief could be seen on the faces of those behind the wheel as they pulled in to be greeted by volunteers with bags of groceries just for them. The need is filled based on the number of members in the family and how many families people were picking the food up for. There are no income level requirements.
The process, which is overseen by Michael and Mary Castaing, involves the Manna FoodBank box truck pulling into the community center parking lot, where it’s met by numerous volunteers, who take in the delivery, then bag and arrange all the food to be given out. Vehicles proceed to pull up one by one in an orderly fashion, and the items are loaded into each of the vehicles. There’s no dining in, as it’s pick-up only.
Groceries are also set aside and bagged for later delivery to individuals who were unable to make the trip to the community center. There is no waste of food, as any leftover items are then taken into the kitchen of the Hiwassee Dam Senior Center and put to good use.
Cherokee County Commissioner Jan Griggs was spotted lifting heavy boxes of food and bringing them from the packaging area to the pickup area.
“I’ve been doing this for three years,” she said. “We do this once a month at the Hiwassee Dam Community Center, and it is by far the most amazing thing I’ve ever been involved with. Every person here is a volunteer, and we’re giving people much-needed help as we go through difficult times.”
The Manna Community FoodBank is stocked with food from generous farmers, grocers and donations. One such donation to Manna FoodBank came in the form of a check for $1,000 from Modern Woodmen of Illinois.
“Whenever there’s a need, Modern Woodmen is there. They are similar to 4-H.” said Lynn Hamby, site manager for the Hiwassee Dam Senior Center and a five-year volunteer of the food bank endeavor. “They do so much to help.”
The open-air parking lot grocery store put smiles on many faces, including that of a cheerful Helen Duggan.
“It makes me feel so good,” she said, “because when you’re on a fixed income and everything is so expensive, it’s not easy.”
John Bouchard volunteered at the community center with Manna as a way to give back through his church’s men’s group.
“This is fantastic,” he said. “It’s so rewarding to give all this food out.”
The next Manna Community FoodBank will be at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 21. For details, email mcastain51@gmail.com.