EPHRATA — For the third, and likely final time, since COVID-19 came into effect last March, the Second Harvest Mobile Market food distribution returned to Ephrata on Thursday.

Cars lined up at noon to pick up food items in the parking lot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ephrata.

Frozen french fries, cans of pork and beans, hamburger patties, bread and boxes filled with various other dry food items were available to each family. About 12,000 pounds of food were on hand to be distributed.

The event was sponsored by Trout Lake Farm and its parent company, Amway.

Allison White, sales manager with Trout Lake Farm, said they typically host one of these events a year and wanted to host as many events as possible.

“We wanted to do something around the holidays to get people what they really need in this important time of the year,” White said.

White said she had talked with Second Harvest about seeing the sheer increase in need from food banks in the area. She said she was glad to see Amway supporting events like this, “upping the ante” this year.

She added it felt good to serve the community and have her company sponsor the event.

“It’s a big thing with Amway, that service,” White said. “To serve your communities, it’s always pushed and they’re always finding opportunities for us to do so.”

Both of the last two events in Ephrata have seen the market run out of items before making it through everyone in line. That showed the need to continue these events as much as possible, White said.

However, she said this is the last mobile market this year in Ephrata, and she wasn’t sure if there would be another in Quincy before the end of the year.

Casey McCarthy can be reached via email at [email protected].