BENTON TWP. — Northern Lackawanna County Food Sharing operated a drive-thru free food distribution at the Benton Twp Community Center on Saturday, March 21.
Organizers Susanne Green and Jill Wetzel have been donating bags of food to the community for the last three and a half years. They felt the need to continue this distribution especially now with the coronavirus crisis, which makes it hard for people afford groceries. “It’s our mission to minimize hunger in our local community,” said Green. “We are considered an essential service so we have an exemption to stay open.”
Like in other free food distributions, the food has been donated by the CEO/Weinberg Food Bank. The food and delivery by UPS are sponsored by East Benton United Methodist Church, in which Green and Wetzel are both members.
For this distribution, the food sharing program had to follow social distancing as mandated by Gov. Tom Wolf. Therefore, instead of people getting out of cars to collect donated food, they drove around the back of the community center, where volunteers loaded their trunks or back seats with paper bags of donated food.
Steve Green, Susanne’s husband, directed the traffic flow keeping the drivers in two lanes so that they can serve four cars at a time. “Volunteering is a civic duty for me,” he said. “I enjoy helping people. I believe we’re bringing necessary items to the community in these times of today’s climate.”
The program also followed social distancing by allowing a maximum of ten volunteers, who had to keep at least six feet away from one another. Volunteers included other members of the Green family, including Steve’s brother Mike Green and his wife Both who placed groceries in three different bags.
Bag “A” carried meats such as taco filling and chili. Bag “B” had paper products including toilet paper. “Bag “C” carried produce such as organic grapes, oranges, and cucumbers. Wetzel recorded the number of families each vehicle was for. One family received each of the three bags.
For two families, they would receive double. Wetzel’s daughter Grace, who is currently back home from working in Long Island because of the coronavirus crisis, volunteered to help jot down the number of families.
“I’m back home from Long Island, and I decided to do what I can do in this time especially,” she said. “I like to help out my mom and help out the community.” Grace’s sister Maria Wetzel also volunteered in this distribution by packing foods.
Robert Minick helped load the bags into the drive-by vehicles. Susanne’s sister-in-law Lynn Dzielak, of Throop, also placed the bags inside the cars and trucks. “I love volunteering for the people in need,” she said.
Lynn’s husband Ed Dzielak also helped out by rolling bags out of the community center by cart and placed them on tables. Lynn’s parents Donnie and Cookie Nicholoff, who drove together, received some of the donated foods.
“I think it’s great,” Donnie said about the distribution. “The food is good, and the service is excellent,” added Cookie.
The packing work of the distribution inside the center was also aided by old and new volunteers. East Benton resident Linda Boncziewicz, who has been volunteering every month for all three and a half years, filled bags with food.
“It”s heartwarming,” she said. “The volunteers get more out of it than the people we serve. Everybody’s so kind, and the way we run it is very organized.”
Sarah Debree, of Fleetville, who works as a school bookkeeper of the Lackawanna Trail school district, took the time to volunteer by packing bags. “I just like to help out, and be around people,” she said.
Blake Borick, 14, a Lackawanna Trail student, volunteers often and has helped with many aspects of the distribution including loading the cart at the distribution.
“I find it very nice for the community because you’re helping out the community, making someone’s day, and taking time out of your day,” he said.
The drive-thru free food distribution has donated food to over 400 families. It has been open to anyone whether they were from Wyoming County or not.
“Susanne and I started volunteering at the Factoryville Food Bank, but they were only allowed to serve people in Wyoming County,” said Wetzel. “She and I started the Northern Lackawanna County Food Sharing so that we can serve more people.”
Although it is uncertain if there would be another drive-thru distribution, people can go on the Northern Lackawanna County Food Sharing Facebook page or call Susanne Green at 570-575-1420.
“We shall stay open as long as we can,” she said.
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