Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas was joined by Nick Conforti Jr. VP of
Business Development at C&C Produce this afternoon at the Don Bosco Senior Center in the Columbus Park neighborhood to help distribute free produce to community members and seniors in need.

The produce, provided by C&C Produce through the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box programs is free to senior citizens and is delivered to area seniors by the Don Bosco Center’s meal delivery drivers or can be picked up at the Don Bosco Centers parking lot at 580 Campbell St.

The USDA issued the grant funds in the beginning of May, to C&C
Produce. Since that time, over 140,000 boxes of produce weighing roughly 18 pounds each to seniors communities in an eight state region that includes MO, KS, NE, CO, WY, SD, ND and MT.

“One of the unintended consequences of the pandemic is that it always brings people together,” Conforti said. “Food is always going to be the universal thing we all have in common, across languages, across cultures, across ethnicities, it really has brought everybody together.”

According to officials at the Don Bosco Center, roughly 320 boxes per
week are distributed locally by their agency to those who are self
isolating because of health, financial reasons or due to lack of
transportation resources.

Mayor Lucas, as he was loading boxes into the back of an SUV praised the public-private partnerships that take care of area Senior citizens and those most at risk.

“This has been a time that is challenging in Kansas City and the Don Bosco Center has been there for new arriving families,” Lucas said.  “A lot of Kansas city businesses like C&C have stepped up to make sure we have fruits and produce that we can provide to people and  it shows is that this community is going to make sure we can weather this
challenge.”