Tyson donates 40,000 lbs. of chicken to Helping Hand
by Ariel McRae
Early last Thursday morning, Tyson delivered a ‘helping hand’ or ‘wing’ to Helping Hand of Humboldt with a fairly hefty donation. A truck carrying 40,000 pounds of chicken made its way to the non-profit organization to help with Helping Hand’s goal to end food insecurity. This donation came at a needed time, as Helping Hand of Humboldt has not been receiving meat from the USDA due to residual covid shortages.
“[It ran] like a well oiled machine,” Executive Director Jocelyn Bundy stated about the delivery of the much-needed protein. “[They] got it done in two hours.”
Volunteers from Tyson Foods’ Humboldt facility met the truckload onsite with other Helping Hand staff and volunteers to unload the nutritious cargo into the walk in freezers the non-profit had installed earlier in the year in order to hold large donations such as this. Bundy has worked tirelessly to garner grants and other funds to help further the mission for the patrons of the organization.
After nearly a year of planning, Bundy was able to get the huge walk-in freezers she had acquired up and running with an added help from Tyson. Bundy explained that in order to use the freezers; she had to have a concrete worker make a concrete area where the freezers would sit and function properly. This was a daunting task.
Tyson stepped in to help. With an added donation of $25,000, a concrete company was hired and the freezers were installed. This was a huge relief to the non-profit; as it would allow them to receive more food in order to help more people. Anything that furthers their goal in helping the needing citizens of Humboldt is a win in their book.
Bundy mentioned that this chicken donation from Tyson would last upwards of five months in their organization, being used in their weekly free meals provided to the public as well as their food boxes they give out to eligible families around the city of Humboldt.
CHICKEN GALORE – Helping Hand of Humboldt Executive Director Jocelyn Bundy (left) shows off the large donation of chicken from Tyson inside of the organization’s walk-in freezer. Community Kitchen Director Ashley Teague (center) and Brian Simmons, community kitchen worker share in the excitement of such a needed donation.
This is just one of their goals accomplished on a laundry list of dreams that Bundy feels will be provided in the future. She noted that the organization’s next big task is to receive the funding to provide an HVAC system to the adjoined building next door. The hope is to move their resale shop into that building and extend their current food pantry into the building where the resale shop is presently located. This would also free up space for more classes to be held within their education center, which currently also shares a space with their resale shop.
“We need $60,000 for the HVAC system,” Bundy described of Helping Hand’s next feat. “If 600 families were to give $100, we could get it done.”
Bundy has big plans for Helping Hand and the future it will help carve out for the people it services. Every ‘helping hand’ that the organization receives, the bigger hand they can extend to those in dire need within the community.
Bundy expressed the underlying mission of Helping Hand of Humboldt is hard to understand for those that have not yet had the opportunity to volunteer with the non-profit and have not witness its miracles first hand.
Bundy said simply, “It is not just about feeding people, it’s about ministering to the whole need.”
If you would like to donate to Helping Hand or volunteer, stop by their location at 810 N. 22nd Ave in Humboldt, or give them a call at (731) 824-1757. Free lunch is available onsite every day for anybody, but if you can donate, it is appreciated. All donations are tax deductible.
