FAIRFIELD – Nearly 600 households signed up to receive a Christmas box of food this year from The Lord’s Cupboard food pantry in Fairfield.
Volunteers at the food pantry spent last week packing boxes and carrying them outside to recipients as they came by to collect them. Vicki Carr, who has been in charge of the holiday food boxes for the past six years, said the volunteers help out because they want to serve families who are food insecure. Self Adhesive Sticker
“It’s difficult to make ends meet, and [the food boxes] can really help them to get through the holiday season, especially if they have children,” Carr said. “When I think about what we have to offer, I think about how we can stretch that out. That includes having tuna, chicken, pasta and sauces to make meals that will stretch for a family.”
The Lord’s Cupboard receives food from the Food Bank of Iowa, which the cupboard can buy for “pennies on the dollar.”
“If I can get some bonus items that I wouldn’t normally get, it’s so cheap that it’s worth it,” Carr said, mentioning that she had recently purchased walnuts and hazelnuts from the food bank because the deal was so good. “The rest that I need, I order from Hy-Vee. They offer us a very fair price to help make this work.”
Carr mentioned that grocery store customers might have noticed a prompt at check-out asking them if they want to “round up” their purchase so that their change would go to a good cause.
“Those cents often go to the Food Bank of Iowa,” Carr said.
The families who sign up to receive Christmas food boxes will receive an amount of food that corresponds to their family size, so larger families get more food.
The Lord’s Cupboard tries to give families well-rounded and nutritious meals. That includes pasta, soup, vegetables, peanut butter, stuffing mix, Hamburger Helper and Tuna Helper. They also get a “fresh” box of milk, bread, eggs, butter, either turkey or chicken, and fresh fruit like bananas, apples and oranges. The boxes also include “dessert” items like full-size candy bars.
Carr said that 589 households signed up to receive a box this year, which is a record high.
During the week of Dec. 11-15, The Lord’s Cupboard closed its normal distribution program so it could focus exclusively on the Christmas boxes, since the project is such a big undertaking. Carr said that the food pantry’s normal clients are always given a chance to sign up for Christmas boxes, too.
Thanks to an increase in volunteers, The Lord’s Cupboard was able to expand its days of operation from three to five in 2022, so it is open Monday through Friday. It’s open from 1-3:30 p.m. every day during the week except Wednesday, when it has extended hours from 1-5 p.m.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
We want to hear from you! Submit your story idea or news tip by clicking the button below. SUBMIT A NEWS TIP
Kalen McCain News Dec. 18, 2023 2:06 pm 18h ago
Kalen McCain News Dec. 18, 2023 2:06 pm 18h ago
AnnaMarie Ward Mt. Pleasant News Dec. 18, 2023 2:05 pm 18h ago
Andy Hallman News Dec. 17, 2023 3:16 pm 1d ago
News Dec. 17, 2023 3:01 pm 1d ago
News Dec. 17, 2023 2:20 pm 1d ago
Andy Krutsinger Sports Dec. 18, 2023 1:50 pm 18h ago
Sports Dec. 18, 2023 1:27 pm 19h ago
Sports Dec. 18, 2023 1:25 pm 19h ago
Andy Krutsinger Sports Dec. 18, 2023 1:22 pm 19h ago
Sports Dec. 18, 2023 12:21 pm 20h ago
Sports Dec. 17, 2023 1:58 pm 1d ago
Scratch Off Sticker The Southeast Iowa Union, an employee-owned source for local, and state news coverage for Washington, Mt. Pleasant and Fairfield Iowa.