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Food giveaways restart today in Bellaire

Boxes are for Ohio, West Virginia residents

BELLAIRE — Food giveaways to anyone in need are restarting at the Belmont County Salvation Army, 315 37th St., with the first slated to take place today.

According to information posted on the Salvation Army Facebook page, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box program has entered into a new contract with Van Solkema Produce.

“They are delivering the product from Michigan and the delivery times may get delayed. Please be patient if delays occur. We are praying for an on-time delivery,” the Salvation Army said on its Facebook page.

Social service agencies, churches and senior centers will get first priority starting at 9 a.m. The drive-through giveaway for everyone else begins at 11 a.m.

The free box of food is expected to contain dairy products such as cheese, yogurt and milk; 5 pounds of some kind of meat; vegetables; and fruit. About 30 pounds of food are in a box.

The giveaways continue to be for both Ohio and West Virginia residents. People are asked not to line up early as it will only increase one’s wait time.

“The past few giveaways I have been proud of you; the line has moved nicely. We are going to give away as much as a family needs supplemented,” the army notes.

The Salvation Army provided the following guidelines to help people decide how much food they may need: for a family of one to three people, one box of food; four to six people, two boxes; six to nine people, three boxes; and families of nine to 12 people, four boxes.

“This is only a guide. Please if you need more or less for your family let us know. The Salvation Army of Belmont County tries to do ‘The Most Good’ for their communities and those who surround us every day,” the army said.

The army’s last giveaway occurred in December. The giveaways began last spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic to help people who had lost their jobs to feed themselves and their families. There still are about 10 million people without a job across the country. This latest round of Coronavirus Food Assistance Program deliveries is expected to last through April.

Van Solkema Produce’s contract alone is worth about $35,065,477 and equates to about 1.1 million boxes of food that will be delivered to locations in Ohio, Michigan and Georgia, according to USDA.

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