MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Volunteers at Mid-South Food Bank are packing 14-day food boxes with nonperishable food for distribution through its partner food pantries. The first pallets of 250 boxes each went out today to pantries in the Memphis area and will soon be going to other areas around west Tennessee, north Mississippi and Crittenden County in Arkansas.
In addition, the Food Bank is stepping up its Mobile Pantry food distribution program by adding more food to serve additional households. Mobile Pantries distribute produce, frozen products, and bakery items and other food directly to clients. A list of Mobile Pantry sites, days and times is on the Food Bank website, www.midsouthfoodbank.org.
Mid-South Food Bank will continue delivering Senior Food Boxes with no-sodium vegetables and no-sugar fruit, fresh produce and other items to low-income senior apartment complexes in Shelby County.
"The caring and generosity of this community has been so wonderful," said Food Bank President & CEO Cathy Pope. "We are treating this situation as we would a disaster of any kind, mobilizing to get food to the people who need it."
Monetary donations from individuals, companies and foundations assist in the effort to help low-income and vulnerable residents have food at home in response to the threat posed by coronavirus and COVID. Donations can be made online at the website, by check mailed to 3865 S. Perkins Rd., Memphis, TN 38118 or by calling 901-373-0412.
Volunteers are still needed to help pack the 14-day food boxes. Mid-South Food Bank has set up its volunteer area so teams of 10 people can work at a safe distance. Gloves are provided to all volunteers. Volunteers are needed every day, with shifts from 9AM – noon and 1 – 4PM, plus, this week, a Saturday shift from 9AM-noon and a Sunday shift from 1PM – 4PM. Anyone interested can go to the website or call 901-373-0400.
Nonperishable food donations can be delivered to the Food Bank or to these collection sites:
- Vitalant (formerly Lifeblood), 5 locations:
- Paul W. Barret Jr. Donation Center,1045 Madison Ave., Memphis. Mon., Tues. & Wed. 8 a.m to 5 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m. to noon. Closed Thurs., Fri. and Sun.
- Bartlett Donation Center, 7505 Highway 64, Suite 109, Bartlett. Mon., Wed. & Fri. 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.,Tues. & Thurs. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sat. 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed Sun.
- DeSoto Donation Center 1055 Goodman Rd. E. Ste J, Southaven, MS. Mon., Wed. & Fri. 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tues. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sat.7 a.m. to 2 p.m., 2nd Sun. of each month noon – 5 p.m. Food donated in DeSoto County stays in DeSoto County.
- East Donation Center, 4702 Spotswood Ave., Memphis. Mon., Wed. & Fri. 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tues. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Closed Thurs., Sat. 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., 3nd Sun. of each month noon – 5 p.m.
- Germantown Donation Center, 2095 Exeter, #75, Germantown. Mon., Wed. & Fri. 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tues. & Thurs. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sat. 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Sun. noon to 5 p.m.
- Beth Shalom Synagogue, 6775 Humphreys Blvd. Memphis, Drop off in the main foyer Tues – Fri 8 a.m.– 4 p.m., Sat 9:30 am – 1 p.m.
- Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 8207 Traditional Place, Cordova 38016, Mon - Thurs 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Fri 8 a.m.-noon.
- Eyewear Gallery, 428 Perkins Ext. Memphis, Mon - Thurs 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
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Coronavirus in Context:
The majority of people who have coronavirus will get better without any long-term effects, according to an Oregon doctor. About 80% of cases tend to be mild. In these cases, symptoms diminish over five to seven days, although people are still capable of transmitting the disease. But there are many people with a higher risk of having a more severe disease if they are diagnosed with coronavirus, including those with heart disease, diabetes, asthma and other vascular disease problems.
Also, most children who get it have mild symptoms.
WHO officials said March 9 that of about 80,000 people who have been sickened by COVID-19 in China, more than 70% have recovered and been discharged from hospitals.
Patients are typically released when they test negative twice for the virus within 24 hours, meaning they’re no longer carrying the virus, although some countries may be using a slightly different definition, that may include when people have no more respiratory symptoms or a clear CT scan.
The World Health Organization said it could take considerably longer for people to be “recovered,” depending on the severity of disease.
Dr. Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization's emergencies chief, said it can take up to six weeks for people to fully recover from COVID-19 infections, which could include pneumonia and other respiratory problems in serious cases. He said the numbers of reported patients have not always been systematically provided to World Health Organization although the U.N. health agency is asking every country with cases for further information.
To put the coronavirus numbers in context, millions of Americans get the flu every single year and there are thousands of flu deaths annually.
Since October 2019, the CDC estimates around 32 million Americans have gotten the flu. That’s one in every 10 Americans.