Four days of rain did not stop the mobile food pantry.

A line of cars stretched for several blocks again at a second mobile food drive organized by Emergency Food Box and the Iowa Food Bank. The derecho created a large number of food insecure people in Marshalltown and many showed up to receive boxes.

“We were closed for eight and a half days because we didn’t have any power and the clients coming to us didn’t have any power at home so we couldn’t give them anything,” Meg Sponseller, Emergency Food Box operations co-chair said. “Once we reopened, our number bounced up to about 25 families a day and usually we average about 15.”

Two weeks ago the groups held the first mobile food drive in the wake of the Aug. 10 derecho that devastated Iowa and left thousands in Marshalltown without power, which led to a loss of food.

The last mobile food pantry was not able to meet the needs of those lined up. Many had to eventually be turned away because there was only enough food for 200 families.

“We know we had a long line of people,” Sponseller said. “We almost doubled our number knowing that there was a need and we had people we turned away.”

This time the group had enough food for 350 families, almost doubling what they had before.

The line started dwindling down about 30 minutes after the pantry opened.

There is not a third mobile food pantry scheduled.

“We are not planning on it right now,” Sponseller said. “We’re going to wait and see how things are going and if we do another one we’ll do it towards the beginning of October.”

Volunteers stood out in the rain with rubber boots and umbrellas directing cars in line on where to go. Other volunteers moved boxes into open car trunks.

The rain made them change locations because the food truck from Iowa Food Bank could not get to their previous position because of the mud.

“It’s going pretty well today,” Sponseller said. “We’ve got people from the American Legion, people from Hope United Methodist, First Methodist Church, St. Francis, Emergency Box personnel. We put out the call to the churches and organizations and they showed up to help us.”

The food was all donated by the Iowa Food Bank.

“People have been pleasant,” Sponseller said. “We’re doing it no matter what, rain or shine.”

Volunteers started working around 8 a.m. on Friday getting set up as the rainy drizzle turned into a downpour.

“There’s a need in the community. There are people who are either living in poverty or with the derecho in some situational poverty because they lost everything in their refrigerator,” Sponseller said. “I’m glad Food Box reached out to us.”

—–

Contact Thomas Nelson at 641-753-6611 or tnelson@timesrepublican.com