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No ducks in the water as Rubber Duck Regatta goes virtual

Posted at 5:05 AM, Sep 04, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-04 07:19:39-04

CINCINNATI — Once a year, the Freestore Foodbank's Rubber Duck Regatta fills part of the Ohio River with rubber ducks, but the pandemic is making the event go virtual this year.

Officials said it would be much safer for volunteers and the public to hold the regatta virtually this year. They also said they didn't want to cancel the event because there are so many people that need assistance.

"Since the middle of March we’ve seen the need for food in our Tri-State area almost double," Trisha Rayner, executive vice president for external affairs for the Freestore Foodbank, said. "About 75% of the people we see that are coming to us for that food need have never had to ask for the food bank services before.”

The Freestore Foodbank's goal this year is to sell 200,000 ducks by Sunday, and they are about 50,000 ducks short as of Friday morning. One duck provides about 15 meals for those in need.

If you would like to buy a virtual duck, you can visit the Freestore Foodbank's website here.