Have you heard of the Traveling Table Mobile Food Pantry? It’s a service that provides food to people in Nampa who can’t get to the food bank when supplies are low.
NAMPA, Idaho — Have you heard of the Traveling Table Mobile Food Pantry? This pantry provides food to people in Nampa who can’t get to food banks. The food is delivered to them. It’s a labor of love for the people who do this every month. Their mission is to provide food for everyone.
“People need help and we have to help them. It’s sad because we can’t help everyone, but we do what we can,” said Ana Morosyan, director of Traveling Table.
On the last Wednesday of every month, Morosyan organizes another food distribution in Nampa. She serves on the board of directors of The Traveling Table, an organization that has been running for more than five years.
“It’s kind of organized chaos, but we end up getting it done and feeding a lot of families,” Morosyan said. “We set up here at Via Nueva Church in the morning on the last Wednesday of every month and then head over to the Nampa Housing Authority in the afternoon. The line today stretched about three blocks. There’s a huge need.”
The organization gets its food from a variety of sources and donations.
“We have food that we receive from the Idaho Food Bank and food that’s been donated by the Salvation Army,” Morosyan said.
They pack food boxes for recipients, with the goal of getting those boxes into the hands of neighbors in need. Volunteers are a big part of this; local businesses, offices and schools often step up to provide volunteers.
“It’s always a blessing to have people help out,” she said.
Morosyan said being able to give back to other families in this way is personal to her.
“Why do I do this? There are lots of reasons,” she says. “I was raised the youngest of 14 children. My parents were very hard-working, but it wasn’t easy to put food on the table. I didn’t always get to eat the good stuff that other kids had for lunch.”
She said the food pantries serve people from all walks of life, some of whom are living in their cars.
“I saw people in tears when they received the food,” she said, “especially the elderly, who cannot go outside even though this is a huge market.”
Morosyan said she and her team will continue to work hard to ensure their clients have the food they need to get through what will be a tough month.
“It’s a feeling that’s hard to put into words but just being able to make a small difference feels really good. Making someone’s day happy and not having to worry about where their next meal is coming from might be the highlight of their day,” Morosyan said.
The Traveling Table is always in need of cash donations to purchase food. You can donate to the mobile food pantry at any time by clicking here.
The next food distribution will be the last Wednesday in July. For more information, visit the nonprofit’s Facebook page.
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