Extension ArHOP program, Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas hosting monthly food distributions via mobile pantry
May 15, 2026
By Rebekah Hall
University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Fast Facts
- ArHOP program, Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas distributing fresh produce
- The Nourish Mobile Pantry operates in St. Francis County
- April event reached more than 160 people, distributed nearly 1,500 pounds of produce
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Download photo of April mobile food distribution
FORREST CITY, Ark. — To combat food insecurity in St. Francis County, the Arkansas High Obesity Prevention Project is collaborating with the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas’ Nourish Mobile Pantry to host monthly distributions of fresh produce to rural communities.
The Arkansas High Obesity Prevention Project, or ArHOP, is an initiative of the Cooperative Extension Service, the outreach arm of the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. The program seeks to address obesity in 11 Arkansas counties through improved nutrition, physical activity and community collaboration. The counties include Bradley, Crittenden, Cross, Desha, Drew, Hempstead, Lee, Monroe, Ouachita, Phillips and St. Francis.
Mishanna Lanes, extension project manager for ArHOP with the Division of Agriculture, said the organization collaborated with the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas for the first Nourish Mobile Pantry distribution in Goodwin, Arkansas, on Sept. 23, 2025. Since then, three monthly distributions of fresh produce have taken place throughout St. Francis County in February, March and April of 2026, in Hughes, Madison and Palestine.
With help at each distribution from volunteers with the Flourish Center, a nonprofit organization in Forrest City, the program has reached more than 700 individuals and distributed nearly 5,000 pounds of fresh produce.
The next Nourish Mobile Pantry distribution will take place May 28 from 2-3 p.m. at First Baptist Church at 507 N. Rosser St. in Forrest City.
“This has been a seamless process with the Flourish Center and the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas,” Lanes said. “When like-minded people get together, amazing things can happen, and this is a product of it.”
Providing access to fresh produce
Marla Lane, St. Francis County family and consumer sciences agent for the Division of Agriculture, said the idea for the mobile food distributions came from a need to reach more Arkansans in rural parts of the county. Through conversations between ArHOP and the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas, as part of the Feeding America Community Accelerator Initiative, a plan was developed to use a refrigerated van owned by the food bank.
“Every month the food bank comes to Forrest City to do a food distribution, but they don’t go to other areas of St. Francis County, which is a very rural area,” Lane said. “There are a lot of rural towns in between bigger towns, so the theory is, why don’t we spread it out to other communities?”
The Nourish Mobile Pantry distributions are supplemental to the U.S. Department of Agriculture TEFAP, or The Emergency Food Assistance Program.
Laura Dunivan, agency relations coordinator for the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas, said eligibility for TEFAP distributions is determined by the number of people in a household and the household’s combined monthly income. Recipients must also provide proof of county residency.
“With the Nourish Mobile Pantry, anyone is welcome,” Dunivan said. “There are no income guidelines. We’re trying to lower barriers to receiving this fresh food. I don’t want to turn anyone away, especially in these small towns where there’s not a lot of access to fresh produce.”
The Feeding America Community Accelerator Initiative is a pilot program, which Lanes said is set to expire in June. Lanes said ArHOP plans to continue working with the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas to plan future mobile pantry food distributions, but finding a local volunteer or organization in St. Francis County to take ownership of the program is key to the future of the project.
“Our biggest hurdle is finding that sustainability piece,” Dunivan said. “Everything is volunteer based, and gas is expensive for everybody. But if we could find someone to lead the program, where they could pick up the produce from the food bank and distribute throughout the St. Francis community, that would be the ultimate goal.”
Filling in the gaps
Lane said many community residents don’t have access to reliable transportation to local grocery stores, are living on fixed income or rely on public assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or the Women, Infants and Children program.
“We’re filling in the gaps to address that food insecurity, but we are also making sure that you know how to prepare the food and how to eat in a healthy way,” Lane said. “When you’re on a fixed income, you can only get what your money can buy, and it’s not always the healthiest choices.”
Lane said she uses her knowledge as a family and consumer sciences agent to develop recipes using the fresh produce items available at the mobile distributions. Recipe cards are included with the produce, and Lane said she has heard positive feedback from the community about the recipes.
“I live in St. Francis County, and I see a lot of the people we help around town,” Lane said. “When I’m at the grocery store, they’ll say they used a recipe I gave them. I’ll get phone calls asking for another recipe for specific ingredients. That’s a connection right there.”
Dunivan said she hears “so much gratitude” from food recipients.
“The lack of intake requirements is one thing I hear them comment on as well,” Dunivan said. “They feel comfortable being there, they’re in their community around friends and family. They’re out here picking up food for their neighbors or their mothers who can’t come by. That’s what it’s all about.”
Extension community impact
As a community resource, Lane said the Cooperative Extension Service helps connect Arkansans with the tools they need to make healthier choices and improve the quality of their lives.
“We promote how to eat healthier so we can live longer,” Lane said. “We promote how to prepare your food, how to get more bang for your buck. Extension helps provide the ‘how.’ Not only am I giving you information on what to do, but I’m showing you how to do it.”
Lanes said the work of the Nourish Mobile Pantry program is in line with extension’s core values, including integrity, collaboration, accountability and relevance.
“We are building trust in rural communities by showing up on time with fresh produce in a safe environment,” Lanes said. “We have created a strong collaboration with the Food Bank of Northeast Arkansas, the Flourish Center and our volunteers.”
Lane said that as a native of St. Francis County, it’s important to her that the community is aware of extension as a critical resource.
“I care about St. Francis County and what goes on here,” Lane said. “I care if a child or an elderly person is getting fed. We care about our county, and that is what the Nourish Mobile Pantry is all about — feeding St. Francis County.
“Often, people have to choose between buying medicine and buying something to eat,” she said. “It shouldn’t be that way. If we have the ability, we need to share these resources to get people what they need.”
Visit the ArHOP program page on the Cooperative Extension Service website to learn more or contact Mishanna Lanes at mlanes@uada.edu.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. To learn more about ag and food research in Arkansas, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station at aaes.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 22 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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Media Contact:
Rebekah Hall
rkhall@uada.edu
501-671-2061