Corning, NY (WENY) -- The Coring Youth Center is helping families get by through the COVID-19 pandemic. They recently received thousands of pounds of food and created meal boxes out of the food.

Name’s like Ryan were being called in the early afternoon hours, on Flint Street in Corning. 

The Laura Richardson Houghton Corning Youth Center is helping more than kids. They're now coming to also help rescue families in need. Thursday was the first-day families could pick up meal boxes that they had ordered. The meal boxes have enough food for more than one meal.

“When this COVID19 issue happened, we really brainstormed and you know, how can we help the community and this is what we came up with,” said Taylor Henry, the program coordinator at the center.

Henry said that since they got their shipment in they've been busy, working on throwing together the boxes for Thursday.

“We got 11,000 pounds of food delivered yesterday. So we had to unload all of that, do lots of organizing. Today we've been putting together all the boxes,” said Henry.

Henry said that they were given so much food, that she actually stopped counting after filling over 50 boxes. One of the recipients of one of those boxes was Ryan Kelly, a Corning native who says it great to see the community come together.

“Honestly I'm happy to the communities actually doing something to take care of the families around here that need it the most,” said Kelly.

Each box contains enough ingredients for at least five meals. But what’s in the boxes however may not be what you'd expect. Often there are canned goods in such boxes. But the meal boxes given away at the Corning Youth Center are much of the food is nutritious. Some of the food, you can't even find in a grocery store anymore.

“Like 5 to 7 meals. Enough for a week. All different kinds of frozen meats, pasta, sauces, rice, chili, anything that you can think of,” said Henry.

For Kelly and countless others receiving the boxes are significant, and that point can not be understated. For many people grabbing a food box can ease the burden of having to pay for groceries for a week. Ryan said that that money can be put to another bill.

“A lot of people are out of work at the moment and this is helping them save some money towards whatever bills may come at the end of this,” said Kelly.

Struggling to buy groceries is a reality many families now have to grapple with during the pandemic. 

Henry said anyone in need of a meal box can call. To place an order for either a grab-and-go dinner or a meal box you can give the center a call. T