The Need is Great at Local Food Pantry

Iowa food pantries are bracing for the winter and a dramatic boost in demand as the year-end holidays near. 

Radio Iowa spoke with Matt Unger, C-E-O of the Des Moines Area Religious Council, says while pandemic-era assistance, like extra SNAP benefits and increased unemployment benefits, helped for a while, it didn’t address the underlying problems with food insecurity.    

“We have this growth now, and the number of folks that are needing this kind of assistance, and we don’t have the same spotlight on the issue that we did during the pandemic,” Unger says, “so I think there’s the risk that we’ve got some complacency.” 

In Fort Dodge, food pantries like the Lord’s Cupboard and Holy Trinity Family Food Pantry are seeing a greater need than in years past.

Marie Sheeder one of the coordinators of the Catholic Food Pantry says that the need has almost doubled there:

The pantry is open on Wednesdays from 10 until 3 and Sheeder says if anyone has a donation they would like to make she will make sure it can be accommodated. The number to call is 955-6077.