ELMIRA, NY (WENY) -- The Food Bank of the Southern Tier is helping out during a time when they are needed more than ever..and they are needed more now then ever. We visited food banks distribution center in Elmira to learn more about a new emergency food box. 

The Food Bank of the Southern Tier has recently teamed up with Chemung County to help those in need during this time and today, we got to speak with a representative about the matter. We spoke with Matthew Griffin, who is the Director of Health and Nutrition at the Food Bank about how they are helping the community along with Chemung county. The Food Bank has helped create an emergency food box that includes; peanut butter and jelly, pasta, oatmeal, lentils and beans, and other food that can feed a family of four for up to five days.

Matt also says that these emergency food boxes are helping out the local schools too.

"So, our school districts are providing meals to children and our thought that the emergency food box could compliment the delivery or the distribution of meals at the school district to provide a shelf stable amount of food. 3 to 4 days that families could use, help them get by and possibly provide this on a weekly or monthly format," said Griffin. 

The first round of boxes will be coordinated with the school districts to help distribute them to the community. We spoke with the Director of Health and Nutrition  at the Food Bank, Matthew Griffin about how else a family could get a hold of this emergency food box.

Griffin said, "So, at this time we are encouraging folks within Chemung County and throughout or six counties of the Southern Tier to go onto the Food Bank website and click on the Find Food button and they'll find resources of food in their community. They can also here, in Chemung County, call the Chemung County hotline for food assistance and that is right on our Chemung County government page."

Also the Food Bank of the southern Tier plans on holding another event later this month to help feed the community