The Marshalltown Emergency Food Box is not the only place people in need turn to when their food runs out. The Salvation Army of Marshalltown has a pantry to provide sustenance to people, as well. However, it is already stretched thin and the cutoff of SNAP benefits on Saturday will not help matters.

Food pantries across Iowa are preparing to get hit with an increased amount of people needing food. According to the Iowa Hunger Coalition, 9 percent of Marshall County’s population depend on SNAP benefits to put food on the table. The federal food assistance program provides an average of $352.26 per month to 3,769 residents or 1,693 households.

Major Nelson De La Vergne said the food pantry at the Salvation Army is typically used to help provide relief to the people who do not qualify for SNAP. On average, they serve more than 220 families each month, a number which has increased in the four months De La Vergne has been in the position; and each person receives a bag carrying an average value of $50 of groceries, depending on what the Salvation Army has available.

“People getting food has always been a problem,” he said. “So, we fill in. With the pending shutdown, that means we will see more people, in addition to the people we see already.”

While some of the families are repeat monthly customers to the Salvation Army food bank, he noted he has seen new families. De La Vergne believes business closures and layoffs is a huge factor as to why more people have been needing help.

“I’ve only had four months to get acquainted, and I know there have been several layoffs which means we see more people,” he said. “The people who are laid off are usually middle-class folks who are trying to live off of what they have until they can get back to work.”

De La Vergne said they are expecting a 12 percent increase in the number of people, and they are not equipped to handle the extra 26 residents.

“We already have food shortages,” he said. “We do what we can to provide for the needs, but they may not receive everything they would have if our pantry was full.”

Donations of non-perishable goods are what De La Vergne said they need, including:

• Cereal;

• Canned meats such as tuna or chicken;

• Peanut butter and jelly;

• Macaroni and cheese;

• Canned fruits and vegetables;

• Spaghetti noodles and sauce and;

• Canned soups.

The Salvation Army has limited freezer space, so the shelf items, preferably ones which have not gone past the expiration date, are what will help the most.

De La Vergne said they rely on donations from churches and other groups in town which conduct food drives. While those certainly help, usually the Salvation Army of Marshalltown receives its food pantry items from the Emergency Food Box, which gets deliveries from the Food Bank of Iowa in Des Moines.

Cindy Staron, co-chair of operations for the Emergency Food Box, said they are preparing for an increase in the number of people. At this time they are able to serve up to 40 families each day and will continue operating with regular hours – 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday.

“They should be aware there might be a waiting time,” she said. “We will make decisions as this first week progresses about any changes to our hours of operation.”

The anticipated influx of people means good will fly off of the Food Box shelves more quickly than usual.

“We may run out of staple items before our next order,” she said. “We are not set up to go to the grocery store everyday to restock what we run out of. What we buy locally is more expensive than purchases from the Food Bank of Iowa. To make food last longer on our shelf, we might need to reduce the amount we can give. For example, one less can of soup for every family.”

Donations to the Food Box include the previously mentioned list for the Salvation Army, plus:

• Beans;

• Diced tomatoes or tomato sauce and;

• Rice.

Staron said they will have fresh produce, frozen meats and other miscellaneous items, and they will continue to make sure people can get milk and eggs using Kwik Star vouchers.

“Organizations and individuals are already contacting us about holiday food drives, but we may need some of that earlier than usual this year.”

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Contact Lana Bradstream

at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or l

bradstream@timesrepublican.com.