MARSHALL — From Galesburg, Ill., to the Twin Cities in Minnesota, Hy-Vee has been giving away fruit by the thousands. Today will be Marshall’s turn.

In partnership with its fruit supplier (Stemilt) the Hy-Vee store located on East Main Street will be giving away more than 3,800 apples to customers with a contactless, drive-thru event starting at 10 a.m. and will continue until noon, or while supplies last. Hy-Vee is giving away 10 apples to the first 380 customers. In total, approximately 1,150 pounds of fresh produce will be donated.

The giveaway will take place in the south area of the store parking lot. All event helpers will be wearing masks and gloves for additional safety measures. No walk-ups will be allowed.

“We have been giving away produce since the start of COVID-19. We’ve given away bananas, given away carrots,” Hy-Vee Public Relations Director Christina Gayman said. “These drive-thru giveaways are contactless. So the customer just opens their trunk or roll down their window. You simply place the product inside and they go on their way.”

Gayman said all of the different communities where Hy-Vee stores are located have been impacted by the pandemic in different ways.

“We are working with suppliers to do both food bank donations — which was done in many states including Minnesota — but also individual communities where we have stores. So allowing our customers to just drive through — there’s no questions asked — it’s one giveaway per customer. In this case, it’s 10 apples to a bag,” she said.

“Fresh produce can sometimes be more expensive than other items in the stores, but it’s incredibly important for health and well being. So we want to make sure that we’re providing as much access to that as possible.”