In the Southeastern Utah Association of Local Governments’ (SEUALG) March newsletter, LuEssa Averett turned the focus briefly to the Carbon, Emery and Grand County food banks.
The banks have continued to serve families and individuals even throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the impact that the virus had on the community members that utilize all that the food banks have to offer, they increased efforts to boost food security and began offering delivery services to homebound clients.
Averett explained that the Stamp Out Hunger food drive, which was hosted in May of 2022, was the most successful that the region has ever witnessed. It brought in over 17,000 pounds of donations from Carbon County alone.
“The kindness of our community continued on through the new year and brought in over 2,500 pounds of donations from Price and Helper citizens during this year’s Scouting for Food Drive,” she stated. “We are grateful for the overwhelming generosity shown by our residents and look forward to continuing to serve our community.”
Special appreciation was also extended from SEUALG to the local postal workers and scout troops that have worked tirelessly to assist in the collection of donations.
“The Southeastern Utah food banks would also like to thank local businesses and communities for their charitable donations throughout the holiday season,” said Averett. “Through continued community collaboration, we are able to expand services for our residents and offer more opportunities for growth and development.”
However, there was a hurdle in September when SEUALG was contacted about the closure of the Green River food bank. The question was raised on whether the agency had the capacity to keep that food bank running. With support from partnerships with state partners, the Utah Food Bank and the Emery County Commission, SEUALG will begin to manage the Green River food bank within the upcoming months.
Averett said that this opportunity will allow SEUALG to expand services in Green River to low-income individuals and households through onsite outreach for both the HEAT and VITA programs.