The Durango Food Bank will get thousands of pounds of chicken and bread in the coming months from Bimbo Bakeries, Tyson Foods and Walmart.
The companies announced the donation of 10,000 pounds of chicken and 10,000 pounds of whole wheat bread to food banks in Durango, Cortez and Alamosa this week.
“As soon as they said, ‘We have 20,000 pounds,’ I almost had a heart attack,” Food Bank Executive Director Sarah Smith said.
It’s not known exactly how much food the Durango Food Bank will receive, because it will be based on capacity of all the food banks, which is being evaluated, she said.
“I think we’ll be able to accommodate a larger contribution,” she said.
The food will likely be stored in Colorado Springs and delivered on a monthly basis so it won’t overwhelm the food bank, she said.
But it will help fill the need the food bank has for protein and sandwich bread. The bread is especially needed with students going back to school.
The food bank serves about 100 families each week, and it can go through about 10,000 pounds in one week, which includes 1,500 pounds of meat, she said.
Regular donations come from local grocery stores. Those donations stock the food bank shelves with perishable items, and food drives provide the bank with canned goods.
mshinn@durangoherald.com
