Norwich — A tractor-trailer from Delaware is due to arrive in Norwich on Friday morning bringing more than 1,000 boxes of refrigerated, farm-fresh food to be distributed free at five sites throughout the city.

The distribution is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families program, providing fresh meat, produce and dairy products to families in need during the coronavirus pandemic. The $4 billion program purchases food from large and small producers hit by the closures of restaurants, schools and event venues and hires distribution companies also hit economically by the pandemic to package and transport the food.

Funded through the USDA Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, the prepackaged food boxes each contain 5 pounds of meat, 5 pounds of produce and 5 pounds of dairy products. Recipients also will get a gallon of milk.

In New London County, the Gemma E. Moran United Way/Labor Food Bank is coordinating deliveries, working with numerous municipalities and agencies to set up drive-thru distribution sites. The food will be delivered by Delaware-based Vincent Farms, the USDA contractor for Connecticut deliveries.

Three of the free food distribution sites in Norwich will be drive-thru and open to the public, not just city residents, without prior registration or qualifications:

[naviga:ul]

[naviga:li]United Community and Family Services, 47 Town St., 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.[/naviga:li]

[naviga:li]Norwich Free Academy, 305 Broadway, Bradlaw parking lot in front of athletic field, 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.[/naviga:li]

[naviga:li]Greeneville Neighborhood Revitalization Zone, St. Mary’s Church parking lot, 70 Central Ave., 1 p.m.[/naviga:li]

[/naviga:ul]

The Farmers to Families food boxes also will be delivered to Norwich Public Housing residents at 10 Westwood Park from 1:30 to 4 p.m. and for residents of the AHEPA housing complex, 380 Hamilton Ave., tentatively scheduled for noon.

Dina Sears-Graves, coordinator of the southeastern Connecticut food distribution effort for the United Way food bank, said the plan is to run the Norwich food distributions every Friday, but locations might change. United Way also is running mobile Farmers to Families food distribution sites for the next four weeks throughout the region on different dates and at different times.

Norwich will receive 18 pallets, each holding 64 boxes of food and 192 gallons of milk, a total of 1,152 boxes to be distributed Friday.

Norwich Mayor Peter Nystrom said he had been working with the St. Vincent de Paul Place soup kitchen, Norwich Human Services and U.S. Foods in Norwich, which offered use of a refrigerator truck, for the past two months to try to coordinate a farm food distribution program for Norwich before the USDA program was announced through the United Way food bank.

“We’re hoping to run this every Friday as long as we can,” Nystrom said, “particularly with winter coming. It will help people to get through this time.”

He said while the three public food distribution sites this Friday are drive-thru, he hopes to work with local agencies to find a way to reach shut-ins and families without vehicles, perhaps through coordinated rides or box pickups.

“We’re getting this done,” Nystrom said. “Just like mask distribution, food distribution is important, too.”

c.bessette@theday.com