361 Bloomington households got their package, first Fresh Friday event in 2021

Bloomington, Indiana – 361 Bloomington households received their package in the Fresh Friday event that took place on Friday in two parts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. This was the first Fresh Friday event in 2021.

A total of 18 people were in charge of which eight were volunteers. The others are staff at Hoosier Hills Food Bank.

The boxes that were given to residents, were consisted of protein box with three or four types of frozen meat, a box full of produce including carrots, apples, potatoes and onions, as well as some bakery items and chips.

The cost of each box was $8 and the packages were bought through Fresh Connect Central at Gleaners Food Bank at a subsidized cost, Julio Alonzo, executive director of Hoosier Hills Food Bank said.

The Fresh Friday project started in 2020 and the idea behind the project is to help those in need mostly hit by the Covid-19. Staff and volunteers are placing the packages in people’s cars.

In the first event in 2020, the hosts managed to provide boxes for 393 households, more than Friday’s event.

“We expected somewhat smaller numbers both because it was the first one and because we’re hopeful that some folks have started to recover from the pandemic,” Alonzo said Friday after the event.

Hoosier Hills Food Bank confirmed they will have similar events in near future. According to the schedule, similar events will take place on June 25, July 9, July 23, Aug. 6 and Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Anyone in need of help is welcome to these events.

Location: 2333 W. Industrial Park Drive, Bloomington