FORT SMITH (KFSM) - Organizers are busy preparing 30,000 pounds of food to give away to families in need at "Antioch In The Park" this weekend. Families in need will get to take home some groceries on Saturday (June 20). All of this is free of charge.
More than 30,000 pounds of food will be distributed to hundreds of families. Now that the kids are out of school for the summer, the "Child Summer Hunger" organization is teaming up with the River Valley Regional Food Bank to make sure kids get fed throughout the season.
The food bank will bring the unprepared food to the park. They are making sure it's a nutritious meal made up from all of the five food groups. Families will be able to get food such as cereal, pasta, rice, canned foods, vegetables, and meat.
Volunteers at the food bank have been hard at work packing up all the food into trucks and trailers. "We have been bagging, putting boxes together, and breaking down 50 pound bags of food," said organizer Charolette Tidwell. They will be taking the food to the park on Saturday.
According to Tidwell, "We are just trying to meet the needs because the kids are out of school and they need nutritious food."
Families can go out to Martin Luther King Park in Fort Smith. They will have to register by giving them their Valid ID and social security card. Then after that, they can pick up a healthy meal for their family.
Organizers said they're already planning more "Antioch In The Park" events for later this summer to help families in need get by. Those events are scheduled for July 18th and August 15th.
Oganizers also said they hope to continue the program each and every summer moving forward.