Residents attending Tuesday’s mobile food pantry at Abundant Harvest can have multiple needs met at the same location, if not exactly at the same time.
Besides getting food, they can also get the COVID-19 vaccination through a partnership involving Abundant Harvest, Newman Regional Health and the Greater Emporia Area Disaster Relief Fund’s #VaxToNormal campaign. On KVOE’s Morning Show on Monday, Newman Regional Health Director of Business Development McKenzie Cinelli said it’s an effort that makes sense from a public health standpoint.
Residents receiving food and/or vaccinations will need to go eastbound on Ninth Avenue and then north on Whittier to approach Abundant Harvest. Lines develop quickly, so Jessica Buchholz of the #VaxToNormal Committee says vaccination volunteers will start at the front of the line — and they will start well before the actual food handoff begins.
The one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be administered, so residents ages 18 and up are eligible for the shot. People needing shots should bring Kansas ID for consent and registration processes. Residents getting vaccinated will receive a $10 Main Street gift certificate.
The mobile food pantry goes from 1-3 pm or until the food is all claimed. Ground beef, fresh watermelons, sweet corn and other fresh produce will be given away.
