There were long lines of cars in Perry and Adel over the last two days, as people were eager to take part in the emergency mobile food pantry.

The program was spearheaded by Dallas County Hospital and Family Medicine Clinics and Raccoon Valley Bank, and everyone who visited the hospital in Perry on Wednesday and the bank in Adel on Thursday was able to drive off with free food. Additionally, the Perry community received 1,900 free packages of chicken courtesy of Tyson Fresh Meats, which were distributed in the Perry Elks Lodge parking lot Wednesday afternoon.

Dallas County Hospital Marketing and Foundation Manager Macinzie McFarland explained how the event came to be. “So we do those mobile food pantries bimonthly. We kind of saw the need there and talked with Raccoon Valley Bank, they were really wanting to find a way to support the community too. And we just created this idea to provide this pantry in between our normal times. We started reaching out for donations to organizations around the community, and the support was unanimous and easy to get. So we were very excited about it.”

The Raccoon Valley Radio Big Red Radio was on hand for both days of the mobile food pantry, as we broadcasted live to spread the word, played music for the workers and attendees, and provided public address services when needed.