SCHENECTADY – Hundreds of cars lined up Wednesday at Schenectady County Community College where volunteers filled the trunks of vehicles with free food.

The three-hour effort was a partnership of the local government, food bank and a charity.

Once motorists pulled up to the front of the line and popped their trunks, volunteers at several stations in the parking lot of the college dropped the food items in the back of the vehicle.

Volunteers at the last stop will close the trunk.

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The county’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Coalition said the no-contact, no-cost, distribution was set up to provide residents with an additional opportunity to receive fresh produce, dairy and frozen meats plus non-perishable items that can be used to create meals at home.

The coalition was a partnership between the county, the Schenectady Foundation, and the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York.

Over the past few weeks, the partnership has been taking orders through a hotline and packing the groceries inside the gym of the Boys & Girls Club of Schenectady before delivering them to those in need.

Susan Linter, the food bank’s director of Community Impact, said in a statement that the event “is a way to safely provide food to households struggling to access sufficient amounts of healthy foods.”

Robert Carreau with the Schenectady Foundation said the coalition is “exploring every avenue to ensure that people in our community are getting the resources they need.”