By NICK YAMASHITA
Moapa Valley Progress
The Moapa Valley Mobile Food Pantry held its monthly event at Grant Bowler Elementary School parking lot on Saturday, Mar. 21. It was a landmark event which served over 700 local families and distributed around 24,000 pounds of food in about 5 hours.
This month’s event was met with some new challenges. Of course, the biggest of these was the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Demand for the food products were particularly high this month, but precautions had to be taken to maintain proper social distancing techniques.
“We had to make sure all volunteers were wearing latex gloves and that no one got out of their vehicles while picking up,” said Larry Griffiths of Moapa Valley Revitalization Project (MVRP) who coordinates the event each month.
The preparations for this unique event were well in advance. Just a few days before the scheduled food delivery by Three Square, Griffiths received word there would be a second food distribution of an additional 12,000 pounds of food, made available. This additional supply came thanks to the efforts of Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick. Organizers hustled to establish a second food distribution location at the Clark County Fairgrounds parking lot so that the event would proceed in an orderly manner.
Even before the volunteers arrived at 4:30 a.m., food recipients were already lining up at the drive thru area at the Bowler Elementary parking lot. By 6 a.m., two trucks from Three Square arrived with the food. By that time, those who were previously registered for the food distribution were lined up at Bowler Elementary in two line of cars that already trailed down Lyman Street towards Gubler.
The fairgrounds also had two lines set up for recipients who had not registered in advance.
By 6:15 a.m., two local Metro Police units arrived to help keep the flow of traffic organized and orderly. Along with the officers, there were also a number of off-duty officers and military personnel who helped coordinate the distribution and maintain safety at the sites.
Griffiths highlighted the importance of these extra safety measures. “We could not have done what we did without the help of the police and “spotters,” he said. “They helped everyone feel at ease and the volunteers were able to work without fear. This made everything go so much easier.”
By 7:38 a.m., the food distribution had served 138 families, at the fairground location alone. From 4:30 a.m. until a little after 9 a.m., approximately 58 volunteers compiled boxes of food and helped distribute food evenly to each vehicle and for each family.
By the time the whole distribution had completed, after 9 a.m., hundreds of families had received items including eggs, milk, chicken strips, pink salmon, oranges, apples, walnuts, chili, canned goods, vegetables and more.
“We had no problems!” said Moapa Valley Food Pantry Director Shanna Munns. “Everyone cooperated, were patient and grateful! We had no problems that concerned safety or people getting disorderly or being problems. It went extremely smoothly and well!”
At the end, the volunteers helped load up the very little that was left and even helped a couple of straggling late vehicles get food.
“The volunteers were wonderful!” said MVRP President Mary Kaye Washburn who was helping with the distribution throughout the morning. “They were helpful and smiling the whole time.”
Griffiths said that he was proud of everyone who helped. “We could not have done any of this without the volunteers,” he said.
Griffiths specifically expressed appreciation to Sgt. Bret Empey and the rest of local Metro officers who were present, John Stastny of the Parks and Recreation, Grant Bowler Elementary administration and Three Square of Las Vegas.
“However, most importantly I need to give a huge thank you to Commissioner Kirkpatrick for her extreme hard work to make sure we had additional food,” Griffiths concluded. “We could not have accomplished this amazing feat without all of their help, especially during this hard time.”
