A giant truck stuffed full of fresh produce, canned goods and other foodstuff will be rolling into Dowagiac this week, offering its contents for a price that any local household can afford: free.

The first of nearly a dozen mobile food pantries with Feeding American slated to visit the county this year will be stopping by at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, at the ACTION Ministry Center. Volunteers with ACTION will be on hand to help distribute food to needy families.

“It’s set up like an open shopping market,” said Chad Benkert, president of ACTION. “We set up a shopping line, where people come by and pick out what they want to take home.”

Each mobile food pantry contains more than 5,000 pounds of food, enough to help stock the kitchens of the more than 100 families who are expected come out during the visit, Benkert said.

The volunteers present will help out families by not only helping load their vehicles, but with discussing what kinds of meals they can make with the items they pick, Benkert said.

“Last year one of the trucks contained turnips, so one of our volunteers was showing people how to cook them,” Benkert said.

In addition to the usual food pantry staples like canned and boxed foods, the trucks stock things like fresh produce or refrigerated products, Benkert said.

“They try to mix it up, there’s always a good variety,” he said. “Nine times out of 10 we’re really happy about what shows up.”

ACTION has paid for 11 Feeding America trucks to visit the region over the spring and summer using the remaining money raised during C. Wimberley’s Feed the Hungry campaign, which took place during November and December.

“Everyone who donated will see the effects of their donations throughout the rest of the year,” Benkert said. “That’s a huge thing for them, to see that their money is still being put to good use.”

Last year, the collation of local churches paid for six trucks to hand out food to local families. With the additional trucks brought in this year, ACTION is looking to have at bimonthly distributions over the next few months, Benkert said. The organization is currently finalizing other locations for future trucks.

While the goal of the trucks is to help feed hungry families, Benkert said that the deliveries are also a great opportunity for people to come out and get know their neighbors a little better.

“It’s all about the interaction,” Benkert said. “It’s not just about giving people food but engaging them in conversation. It’s about building community and meeting new people.”

People interested in volunteering are encouraged to contact ACTION, at actiondowagiac@gmail.com or at 269-782-0000. The ACTION Ministry Center is located at 301 Main St.