Areli Paulin shows up the first Monday of every month to help unload food from the Weld Food Bank's Mobile Food Pantry. This month, she helped set up as folks gathered in a winding line that stretched down the block from Salida del Sol.
She handed out a couple frozen pizzas to each person. Others passed out boxes of bell peppers, spinach, corn, green beans, watermelons, milk and tea.
When the line cleared out, she grabbed food for her family, too.
About a year and a half ago, Paulin got laid off from her job. She got pregnant, too, just before her husband got into a car wreck. He has a bad back now and can't work as much as he used to.
Her family needed help.
She showed up the first day the Mobile Food Pantry stopped at Salida Del Sol, 111 E. 26th St.
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On that first day, there was a miscommunication with the food bank volunteers and no one came to help unload the trucks. They would have had to turn around and go back to the food bank had it not been for Paulin and a couple other folks who stepped up to help. She's been back to help every first Monday of the month since.
Paulin still needs help from the food bank, she said, but she wants to do everything she can to give back to it, too.
"It helps a lot," Paulin said. "It provides food for my kids and my husband — especially the veggies. Those are expensive in the store."
The Mobile Food Pantry is a converted beverage truck. It can transport several pallets of refrigerated food, which makes it possible to take fresh produce, dairy and meats to various locations around the county.
Weston Edmunds, communications manager for the Weld Food Bank, said when people don't have money to spend on food, they cut out dairy, meat and produce. They buy cheap, unhealthy food instead.
The food comes from local farmers, grocery chains, retail stores, sponsors and donations, Edmunds said. That relationship helps reduce food waste.
"We have a lot of good partners who help us make sure food doesn't end up in a landfill and does end up in the hands of people who need it," Edmunds said.
Adrianna Gonzalez has been coming to the Mobile Food Pantry since it started making stops at Salida Del Sol. She tries to come every month. Her boys go to school there, so it's easier for her to pick up food there than it would be to go to the food bank.
"They have good food here," Gonzalez said. "Life would be a lot harder if I wasn't able to use it."
For Paulin, a lot happened at once. Her household income took a big hit with changes to her and her husband's jobs, and they had a baby. She's glad, though, she learned about the Mobile Food Pantry and has a chance to help others.
"Life has its ways," Paulin said.
— Kelly Ragan writes features and covers health and nonprofits for The Greeley Tribune. Have a tip? Want to share your story? Call (970) 392-4424, email kragan@greeleytribune.com or connect on Twitter @kelly_raygun.
By the numbers
In 2016, the Mobile Food Pantry distributed 2.3 million pounds of food across Weld County. It makes stops at sites in Greeley, Windsor, Milliken, Pierce, Keenesburg, Gilcrest, Kersey, Mead, Hudson, Dacono, Fort Lupton, Frederick and Lochbuie.
In Weld County, one in four children and one in five adults are hungry. That equates to 58,000 people, according to the food bank’s website.
The food bank saw a 22 percent increase in emergency food requests last year, Edmunds said, the biggest jump since the recession.
For more information about the food bank, click here or call (970) 356-2199.
