The Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin Tomah Mobile Pantry has a new coordinator, and she said her first job is to clear up a misconception about the pantry and welcome a new partner in its efforts to feed the hungry.
Kristopher Tazelaar, communications manager for Second Harvest, said concerns have been raised due to a rumor that the Mobile Pantry is being closed. She said the rumor is false.
“It absolutely is not being closed,” he said. “We are simply changing the local partner we work with to run the pantry. The new partner is the Tomah Lions Club, and we are very excited to have them join us in helping those in the Tomah area who struggle with hunger.”
Neighbor for Neighbor Food Pantry was the previous local partner, Tazelaar said. For over four years they helped organize the Mobile Pantry. In October they informed Second Harvest that the January distribution would be their last.
“They indicated to us that they wanted to focus their efforts at alleviating hunger through their pantry location in Tomah,” he said. “We will continue to work with the Neighbor for Neighbor Food Pantry to help meet the needs of those facing hunger in Tomah.”
William Baxter, Mobile Pantry coordinator for the Tomah Lions Club, said he brought forth the idea of the group taking Neighbor for Neighbor’s place. For the past seven months, Baxter has volunteered at the Mobile Pantry, and when he heard Neighbor for Neighbor had given its two month’s notice, he knew he had to do something.
“Right away I thought I could get the Lions to take over because part of the Lions duty is civic service,” he said. “We’re a service organization; we’re not in it to make money. ... We’re in it to help the people and to make sure that if they had need of the food to survive on, we wanted to be able to provide it for them. ... We do this for the people.”
Tazelaar said the Mobile Pantry is a vital resource for the community.
“Each month, on average, 225 families receive nearly 70 pounds of food to help supplement their other food resources,” he said.
On Feb. 13 Baxter said 150 households, or about 430 people, were served by the Mobile Pantry. That represents approximately 170 people under the age of 18, 154 adults and 107 seniors.
The Mobile Pantry is distributed on the first Tuesday of every month from 4-6 p.m. in the Gold building at the Fairgrounds, 1615 Butts Ave. The next pantry is scheduled for March 6.
