NORTH OGDEN – There were more cars on the shoulder of Washington Boulevard on Friday than could be counted as volunteers ripped open boxes, packed groceries and loaded them into suitcases.
“Attention everyone!” Mike Larson exclaimed as he used a forklift truck to bring a pallet of groceries out of his store, Advanced Armor Technology.
Business at Larson has been anything but normal for the past year. Advanced Armor Technology sells protective equipment to law enforcement officers and civilians. When law enforcement agencies started cutting budgets last year, the company was temporarily closed and turned into Tri-City Exchange – a pantry where people give what they have and take what they need.
What was now intended as a two-month project has become an integral part of fighting hunger in the region. But it didn’t stop there.
Although named for the tri-city area of North Ogden, Harrisville, and Pleasant View, the Tri-City Exchange has expanded to other parts of the state and country. The company currently has locations in Hawaii, New York, California, Colorado and Price, Utah. And when people flocked to the North Ogden location on Friday, Tri-City Exchange held a grocery pop-up giveaway in American Fork.
“On days like these, we get a line 2 miles (long) – it’s chaos,” he said.
The steady flow of cars showed up in response to a post that was published on the Facebook page of the exchange on Thursday evening and advertises its freebies. Within hours, Tri-City Exchange had distributed more than 180,000 pounds of groceries in just North Ogden, Larson said. During the same period there was £ 80,000 prize and £ 60,000 American fork.
According to Larson, the continued operation of the exchange is based on the philosophy of reducing hunger while minimizing waste. Some pantries throw away donated food because they cannot distribute it quickly enough.
At Tri-City Exchange, very little of what was donated went unclaimed, Larson said. In the last year it gave away 9.5 million pounds of food and threw away less than 0.5% of what it received.
“If I can show a company that it’s not going to waste, donate it,” said Larson. “But if they know it’s going to be thrown away, there’s no point.”
This philosophy has built trust between Larson and the many local and nationwide food suppliers he has worked with to get food into the hands of the hungry. Among them, he said, are Associated Foods, US Foods, Nicholas, and more.
The exchange also uses this food to supply neighboring pantries, provided they sign a commitment to reduce waste to 10% or less over the course of a year.
This model is replicated in Tri-City Exchange locations across the country. Other companies and organizations have turned to Larson, he said, asking how they can do what he does. Larson hopes more locations will pop up next year.
“It’s here forever, no question about it,” said Larson. “We can’t stop; It is helping so many people and is changing the way food is given to people. “
The need for food has become particularly pronounced in Weber County over the past year. According to a recent study by Weber State University and the Ogden Civic Action Network, about one in five children in Weber County were food unsafe in 2020 – an increase of more than 5% from 2018.
Larson fears that this number will only get worse as government benefits to alleviate the economic problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic run out. Therefore, the exchange will remain open to everyone, he added.
In the Facebook post promoting the giveaway on Friday, one commenter asked, “What checks do you need?” Another replied, “You don’t need anything, just drive it up and they load it into your car.”
This is another cornerstone of the exchange – anyone who needs help gets it.
“Many food programs are income-based,” said Larson. “It doesn’t matter if you’re in a million dollar house or a single-wide house, lost your job, can’t pay the bill, your kids go without food, or don’t have a place to stay. “
During the year of operation, Tri-City Exchange has found more and more ways to get groceries to the people who need it. It works with local law enforcement agencies to link domestic violence victims and other vulnerable people to food, and some Utah Transit Authority drivers have begun loading their buses with food and distributing it along the way, Larson said.
The number of pop-ups that Tri-City Exchange holds has also increased as stores have been set up in local business car parks that reach people who do not have the means to get to their North Ogden location on 2067 N. Washington Blvd. to travel .
In addition to corporate donations, the exchange is also based on individual contributions, said Larson. It raises money to fund shipping for groceries on Venmo and Cash app, and relies on regular volunteers to keep things going.
Scott Wilson joined Tri-City Exchange in August. He said he got involved after reviewing the exchange with his son, Harrisville Police Chief Mark Wilson, and realizing how much help Larson needed. When Wilson sees people who really need something and are ready to give back what they can, it’s well worth all the time spent, he said. “We all need a little help at some point.”
One recent experience came when an elderly woman offered her stimulus check – which Tri-City Exchange had declined – to compensate for the help she received through the exchange during the pandemic. Another woman hobbled down the street on a stroll and offered a cup of pudding in exchange for groceries.
“She said,” I have this extra, it’s going to help someone, “recalled Larson.” It just breaks your heart, you know, to see everyone wants to help. “
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