LOUISVILLE, Ky. — UPS delivered more than 16,000 pounds of food to Dare To Care food bank at a time when food banks are expecting to see an increased need from the community.
The delivery is part of the company's annual food drive. According to UPS spokesperson Becca Hunnicutt, this year's donation is more than it collected last year when it collected 15,929 pounds.
"This year the amount of food is less, but also you have to take into consideration some of those items cost more this year with COVID-19 and the pandemic," she said.
"You would maybe want to multiply that by 3 so that'd be about 45,000 meals that can go out into the community from this food drive alone," Dare To Care Chief Programs Officer Annette Ball said.
This donation comes at a time when food banks are more important than ever with the coronavirus pandemic leaving many people facing food insecurity.'
"In the beginning of COVID, we saw an increase of nearly 30 percent in demand for the food assistance," Ball said. "That has fortunately gone down a bit. We do anticipate as the holidays draw near, as the colder weather comes, we're going to see a spike in the need, in the demand again."
The pandemic has also changed the way people are donating. Dare to Care said there are people who may not feel comfortable donating their time volunteering but can give in other ways. UPS said it also had many of its employees donate money to the food drive.
"They know that this is important to our community and they've stepped up, whether they donated online or they brought the canned foods into our facility," Hunnicutt said.
"We actually have seen an increase so very exciting because our neighbors do realize the extent of the need that is out there and they're really coming forward and saying, 'I'm here to help,'" Ball said.
According to Ball, one of the biggest needs right now is cereal and canned vegetables.'
People can learn more about how to donate at Dare To Care's website.