RiverFest

Christina Yarnell of Yarnell's Ice Cream speaking at the kickoff event for the Food Drive at Riverfest, the first food drive for the event. 

First-Ever Riverfest Food Drive Benefits Arkansas Foodbank

Yarnell’s Ice Cream and Walmart are sponsors

LITTLE ROCK (May 10, 2011) – Riverfest, in partnership with Yarnell’s and the Walmart Foundation, hosted the first-ever festival-wide food collection effort during the May 27-29 celebration along the banks of the Arkansas River. Food collected over the three days will benefit the Arkansas Foodbank. The festival food drive was kicked off with a two-week-long food drive at Walmart locations in the state of Arkansas. 
Attendees to Arkansas’ largest and most popular music, arts and food festival were encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to the festival.  Seven food collection points were set up throughout the festival’s footprint along both the Little Rock and North Little Rock sides of the river. Yarnell’s and Walmart provided two large 53-foot trucks to collect the food at the Main Gate.
Everyone who broughtva food donation received a free ice cream cup from Yarnell’s. Those who donate food at the shuttle locations also received $1 off their shuttle ride for the day.

Announcing the partnership last month

In announcing the partnership last month,  DeAnna Korte, Riverfest executive director. said they were excited about the effort to help hungry Arkansans.
“We are thrilled to be working with Yarnell’s and Walmart to draw more attention to hunger in our state,” she said. “This will be the first time we’ve undertaken a massive food collection like this during the festival. We anticipate that the great Riverfest crowds we have each year will really help us collect a large amount of food for the Arkansas Foodbank.” 
The Arkansas Foodbank recently opened a new warehouse with an open house scheduled for May 19 prior to the festival, with a Foodbank goal of doubling its aid to the hungry people in Arkansas in the next five years. The Food Drive at Riverfest will be a major contribution to the nonprofit, which is the state’s largest foodbank and largest non-government provider of food for hunger relief in the state.
Under the visionary leadership of Chief Executive Officer Phyllis Haynes, the Foodbank serves 23,000 people a week through approximately 300 agencies throughout the Foodbank’s 33-county service area. In 2010, the nonprofit distributed 13.3 million pounds of food.
“I can’t tell you how excited we are to partner with Riverfest, Walmart and Yarnell’s,” Haynes said. “Holiday giving sustains us in the winter months but this will give us a ‘spring’ boost when we really need it. And childhood hunger is worse in the summer when kids are out of school and don’t get free and reduced-price lunches.  We encourage everyone to participate in this great effort.”
Walmart is kicking-off a two-week-long food drive at participating stores across Arkansas following Riverfest. Items donated will go to the nearest Feeding America affiliate food bank across the state – in Bethel Heights near Springdale, in Jonesboro, Norfork, Texarkana and Fort Smith, as well as to the Arkansas Foodbank’s Southeast Arkansas branch in Warren. In 2010, Walmart pledged $2 billion to fight hunger in America through 2015 and promised to get its customers involved in the fight against hunger. 
“At Walmart, we’re committed to helping end hunger in America and believe no one should go to bed hungry,” said Chris Thomas, Walmart’s Director of Operations. “We believe hunger is a problem we can solve together and we’re very proud to stand with beside the Arkansas Food Bank, and Riverfest and with Yarnell to fight hunger in Arkansas.”  through volunteerism and giving,” said Chris Thomas, Director of Operations with Walmart.
 “We have been part of this great state for nearly 80 years,” said Christina Yarnell, chief executive officer of the family-owned Yarnell’s, based in Searcy, Ark. “We can’t think of a better way to give back and help our community than partnering to host such a massive food drive. We’re looking forward to helping fill the Arkansas Foodbank’s warehouse and raise awareness about the hunger issue in Arkansas.”
More than half a million Arkansans live in poverty and experience hunger, according to the Arkansas Foodbank. In the Foodbank’s 33-county service area, 245,000 people are considered “food insecure,” which means they struggle to put food on the table. Arkansas has the nation’s highest rate of hunger (17.7 percent) and the highest rate of childhood hunger (24.4 percent).
Riverfest attendees are asked to donate some of the top 10 items needed by the Arkansas Foodbank, including canned meats/fish/poultry, canned/packaged meals, peanut butter, cereal, soups, canned vegetables, canned fruits, 100 percent fruit juices, pasta and pasta sauces and diapers.