Members of the Battle Creek Air National Guard were deployed to the South Michigan Food Pantry to help distribute food to people impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
The Battle Creek Enquirer reports that needs at the pantry have skyrocketed since the governor’s stay-at-home order was put into place. The CEO of the pantry, Peter Vogel, told the Battle Creek Enquirer that the pantry normally serves 80 to 100 families, but since the coronavirus crisis, it is now trying to make sure up to 370 families have food. He estimates that more than two-thirds of the people visiting the pantry are doing so for the first time.
The National Guard is helping at six different food pantries across the state of Michigan. The other sites are at Comstock Park, Ann Arbor, Pontiac, Flint and Royal Oak, according to the National Guard. Across the country, the guard is also helping run mobile COVID-19 testing sites and other support missions.
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