Kentucky National Guard supports Louisville food bank

  • Published
  • By Dale Greer
  • 123rd Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LOUISVILLE, Ky. --  Airmen and Soldiers from the Kentucky National Guard packed 1,920 boxes with free groceries at the Dare to Care Food Bank here over the past week, providing healthy meals to area residents who are struggling to afford basic sustenance.

The boxes, available to anyone who stops by the food bank, contain canned fruit and vegetables, peanut butter, pasta, ravioli and other nutritious foods, said U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt. Alex Koehler, a bioenvironmental engineer from the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Contingency Response Group.

“I volunteered for this mission because I want to help others in a time a need,” said Koehler, one of a dozen Guard members who supported the project. “We don’t just join the Guard to pay for schooling. We join the Guard because it’s a call to action. It’s an opportunity to be impactful and help our community.”

U.S. Army Master Sgt. Matthew Boone, another Guard volunteer, expressed similar thoughts.

“I was thankful to be included and have a chance to contribute at a time when many of my neighbors are struggling,” said Boone, the non-commissioned officer section chief for personnel at Joint Force Headquarters-Kentucky. “It was a great opportunity to give back to my community.”

The Louisville effort is part of a statewide campaign authorized last month by Gov. Andy Beshear in response to the shutdown of the federal government and the temporary suspension of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food aid to nearly 600,000 Kentuckians. In addition to National Guard support at multiple Kentucky food banks, Beshear also directed that $5 million in emergency aid be distributed to a key food bank network.

Alexus Richardson, director of communication for Dare to Care, said she was “incredibly grateful” for the Guard’s support.

“We had such a surge of people needing assistance, we exhausted all our food box supply,” Richardson said.

Dare to Care distributed 27 million pounds of free food to residents in 13 Kentuckiana counties last year, she said. Demand is even higher this year due to an increasing number of people facing food insecurity. Many factors are driving that, including rising food costs, reductions in federal aid and the delay in SNAP benefits.

“It’s kind of like a perfect storm,” she said. “A lot of our food pantry partners are literally running out of food. In some cases, the number of people coming to visit have tripled. It’s been a huge strain on the pantries.

“Many of us are all just one step away from leaning on a food bank,” she added. “It could be medical bills or a car accident that prevents you from working. So we appreciate the Guard stepping up for our neighbors. They really have made a difference by putting food on the table.”