Volunteers answer new- record need at mobile pantry - Pilot Tribune

Volunteers answer new- record need at mobile pantry - Pilot Tribune

Photo by Chris Eral

It is two hours before the doors are supposed to open, but people are already lining up outside. A cold wind whips through Storm Lake, and the first snow of the season lingers in the air.

These people are not queued up for the latest popular movie or a hot-ticket concert, they have come for food to sustain their families.

Toward the head of the line, an elderly woman leans on a walker, and a young mother totes a baby in a plastic carrier, shielded by a fleece blanket. Some have children in tow.

The Iowa Food Bank Mobile Pantry is beginning its second year in Storm Lake. For this event, 207 people wait in line for the chance at a cart of food, surpassing the previous record of 174.

“We ran out of food at the end, which was unfortunate,” said Duane Queen, of the Hi-Noon Kiwanis Club that operates the mobile pantry. We had a lot of food and were grateful for that. This is something that has to be done.”

Forty-eight volunteers made the operation run smoothly. For this installment of the mobile pantry, the staff of Farm Credit Service helped out. As usual, members of the high school Key Club were also on hand.

“They were a big help, taking groceries outside for people in the cold weather. We kept them busy - we have 10 carts but we needed more. Luckily we were able to borrow from Bomgaars, Hy-Vee and Faraway, and we kept 20 carts going in and out,” Queen said.

Other volunteers simply call and ask if they can help.

“This is simply people showing that they care. Sometimes it can be hard for people to know what they can do, how they can make a difference. With this many people going through the line, we’re grateful we had all those volunteers.”

While need seems to be growing, Queen also attributes the rising numbers to word of the mobile pantry effort slowly spreading. For this event, the Kiwanians tried to notify families through a memo send home with elementary school children, and Upper Des Moines, which originally brought the mobile panties to Storm Lake, encourages its food pantry patrons to take advantage.

As long as they meet the poverty-level guidelines, anyone can use the mobile food pantry. There were people from Cherokee and Clay counties making the trip Wednesday, and people from as far away as Crawford County have traveled to the local events in the past.

Originally, the pantries were planned for once a quarter, but with the need obviously high, the Hy-Noon Club agreed to take it on every other month.

“The numbers indicate we could do it every month. I suspect we might have to evaluate that, with this kind of response,” Queen said. “It’s very hard to predict the numbers. We don’t know if it because of the holiday season, or the winter - maybe money is a little more scarce for people than it has been.”

In light of the cold weather, the Kiwanians bent the rules somewhat, and allowed the guests to line up inside the building. “We are very happy for Bomgaars letting us use its old store - of course, we have no idea how long we will have it, it is for sale.”

The food for the mobile pantries around the state is generally donated by grocery wholesalers to the Iowa Food Bank. This Storm Lake event was a rich haul - boxes of 25 beef patties, 10-pound bags of potatoes, eggs by the dozen, bags of carrots, walnuts, blueberries, double boxes of Cheerios, canned goods, bread. “You could make a whole lot of meals from this,” Queen said.

Among those in line Wednesday were a couple of new arrivals, young men from Cuba. “We’re told there are a number of Cubans arriving here. They are pretty self-supporting, but they need a little help for the first two weeks until their first paycheck kicks in,” Queen said.

There were also many elderly residents in the crowd, as the need among the older population seems to be growing.

“It’s a different world out there. It can be so easy to pass it by and not notice sometimes. Those of us who lead comfortable lives, when we take part in something like this, we see the harsh realities of our times. Imagine people standing in a line for two hours just to be able to have some groceries,” said Queen, a retied local minister. “We are grateful for the opportunity to be involved, but it is very unfortunate that we have so many people in such need. It touches your heart.”