CAIRO — Grady County Schools teamed up with Second Harvest Food Bank Thursday morning for a pantry box giveaway for families sheltering from the coronavirus.

Ten volunteers from the Grady County school system distributed 350 boxes of food at the Cairo High School gymnasium. Boxes included dry foods, canned goods and vegetables including rice, chickpeas, canned corn, peanut butter, tomatoes and potatoes.

Boxes were distributed on a first-come, first-served bases. No qualifications were required in order to receive food.

Participants arrived at the CHS gymnasium and remained in their vehicles as boxes were distributed by volunteers from Grady County Schools, including principals, Superintendent Kermit Gilliard, assistant superintendents and custodians, among others. One box was given to each family.

After only about one hour, every box had been distributed.

“We didn’t know what participation would be,” said Gilliard, who helped organize the event with Second Harvest.

Second Harvest chief marketing officer Eliza McCall initially contacted Gilliard in mid-March to offer assistance distributing meals to students in Grady County. With the school system already handling meal preparations for students each week, there was no need at the time for help from the hunger-relief organization.

When Gilliard spoke with McCall again last week, she told him about Second Harvest’s “pantry box,” and efforts to organize a giveaway were in the works by Wednesday afternoon.

Gilliard said a similar pantry giveaway likely will take place next week, possibly coinciding with food drop giveaways for students at county schools on Tuesdays and Thursdays. When students go to pick up their free breakfasts and lunches, they also can take home a box of food for their family.