WELLSBORO — The UPMC North Central Pa. Mobile Unit was stationed at UPMC Wellsboro on Tuesday, Feb. 17 handing out boxes of fresh food to one and all.
“This is called ‘Fill Your Trunk, Feed Your Family,’” said Kari Kurtz, director of community relations for UPMC. “Once a month in partnership with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, we go to different sites, either a UPMC site or a food pantry.”
Visitors receive one box of produce and a bag of meat. There is one simple form to fill out and staff will ask how many people visitors need to feed. There is no declaration of income needed.
On Tuesday, UPMC brought 210 boxes to hand out; approximately 55 were distributed. Staff also donated 29 boxes to the Tioga County Homeless Initiative.
“The need goes up and down,” said Tyler Wagner, director of public relations at UPMC. “The location, time of year make a difference.”
“Last fall when SNAP benefits were shaky and before the holidays, we gave away a lot,” said Kurtz.
Patients exiting the hospital, hospital staff and neighborhood residents were among those who visited the van on Tuesday. Kurtz noted that car seat checks were also available at food distributions and that every box contained flyers for local resources such as food assistance.
“We’re trying to get out into the rural areas but we wanted to kick it off here, because this is where the mobile van started,” said Kurtz.
The van was unveiled in Wellsboro in December 2024.
None of the food is wasted or disposed of, said Kurtz.
“We’ll contact other community organizations and give it away,” said Kurtz. “We would anyway, but there are rules around keeping food fresh.”
The location of the mobile van varies each month. To see where they are going next residents can visit the UPMC North Central Pa. Facebook page. Sign-up is encouraged but not required.
Fill Your Trunk, Feed Your Family will be in Westfield on Tuesday, March 24 and in Mansfield on Tuesday, April 21. Both locations will be open from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Check the Facebook page for locations.
