Thursday morning, a convoy of Toyota Tundras made its way from Coca-Cola Park in Allentown to the Second Harvest Food Bank in Northampton County for the Toyota Food Drive.
On each truck were pallets loaded with food, 14 in all, totaling more than 16,000 pounds.
"The opportunity to work with Toyota, with so many of our local business partners to raise funds and awareness," said IronPigs President and GM Kurt Landes.
"The totality of today's event is going to end with us providing over enough food for meals for 42,000 people."
The IronPigs and 69 News WFMZ were proud to help out and provide food, and Toyota was happy to lend its trucks.
"Getting to see the truck, actually getting to use it a little bit for its capabilities, is truly a lot of fun," said Patrick Sudac, District Manager for Toyota.
Even Ferrous, the IronPigs mascot, was on hand to make sure things went smoothly. But as fun as the event was, it's helping to tackle a serious problem. One that's getting worse and worse.
"42,000 meals are a very large amount of meals, even bigger are the numbers of people who are being affected by hunger and food insecurity in this country," said Joanne Anderson, Senior Development Director for Second Harvest Food Bank. "Currently that number is 49 million people; one in six of those are children across the United States."
Anderson said Second Harvest Food Bank serves six counties, and this donation comes at an important time with the holidays quickly approaching.
"It's life-changing because, particularly around the holidays, you have the opportunity to bring people who are living with food insecurity up to the same level as everyone else in this country for Thanksgiving dinner or a holiday meal," said Anderson. "We provide them with dignity."
