“We’re here to say thanks,” the Rev. David Meier told Allen County commissioners Tuesday morning.
Meier and LaDonna Krone came as representatives of Humboldt Food Pantry, which commissioners gave permission to use Humboldt’s Senior Center as its distribution point starting in November.
“It’s wonderful,” chimed in Krone, noting the pantry was open from 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday and was able to better serve a growing clientele.
“Support from the community is reflective that we’re doing it the right way,” Meier added.
Krone said 10 to 20 families came for each Tuesday’s distribution, with four news families seeking assistance last week.
The Humboldt pantry has been an outreach ministry for 18 years, under guidelines of the Humboldt Ministerial Alliance and Kansas Food Bank.
“We have 28 volunteers,” Krone said. Five to six work each week.
Meier pointed out the panty’s mission is to provide food to families and individuals during times and situations that otherwise would mean they’d go without adequate food. Each consumer is given items from all basic food groups to ensure well-balanced meals.
Since 2009, the Kansas Food Bank has supplied about 60 percent of the food distributed. KFB food is free, except a charge for transportation from Wichita to Humboldt.
Need for the pantry keeps increasing, Meier said.
People who were financially surviving paycheck-to-paycheck a few months ago are finding themselves making difficult decisions of whether to pay a utility bill or have food for their family, he said.
Donations of money and food come through local churches and individuals, as well as the food bank.
Several methods are being used to help the needy, Meier said.
Invest an Acre is a program of the Kansas Food Bank through which farmers may donate an acre’s worth of grain through arrangements at their elevator, with proceeds going to the state food bank. Monsanto matches donations, dollar for dollar.
Also Monsanto has a program through which it donates $2,500 to a pantry of a farmer’s choice in each county once a year. Humboldt’s pantry twice has been the recipient of a grant.
