The Caraway Foundation to distribute food

WADESBORO — Free boxes of produce will be given out by The Caraway Foundation each Saturday in August beginning August 8.

Individuals and families can pick up the boxes at the Ansonville Fire Department from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. No registration is required. Each family will receive a minimum of two boxes. It will be first-come, first-served.

Community groups who would like to participate in this program can pre-order boxes. This must be done at the week ahead of time and the forms to do so can be found at www.thecarawayfoundation.org. Each group can request between 10 to 100 boxes, depending upon availability.

This is being done with Military Produce Group, a provider of fresh produce, under the USDA’s Farmers to Families program.

According to their website, USDA’s Farm to Families program, “will supply food boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, meat products, and a combination box of fresh produce, dairy or meat products. Distributors will package these products into family-sized boxes, then transport them to food banks, community and faith-based organizations, and other non-profits serving Americans in need.” This is part of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.

“Once we receive the product, our goal is to have it distributed within the Anson County Community within two to three days,” said Angela C. Caraway, Founder and Executive Director of The Caraway Foundation. Caraway signed The Caraway Foundation up to be a distributor for the program in Anson County upon hearing of its existence in July.

The produce is delivered by trucks in the form of boxes. Some trucks carry as many as 1560 boxes. “I live by the motto, ‘go big or go home,’” explained Caraway. “So, when I reached out to local churches throughout the area and asked them to share the information with associated churches and organizations.”

These churches and organizations are encouraged to pick up the food and then distribute it to their own members and communities. The purpose of this is so people throughout Anson County can have access to the produce without necessarily having to drive to Ansonville to pick it up.

Those wishing to volunteer their time or make a donation to The Caraway Foundation can do so either by contacting Caraway by phone at 704-761-4351 or by visiting their website.

“Everyone is welcome to come by and pick up a box,” said Caraway. “There is no paperwork. You are eligible to receive a box just by existing.”