T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM House of Compassion Director Jasmine Spikes seeks possible barriers people might face when it comes to the meals served at the nonprofit. She requests ideas from Marshall County Food Access Committee members during the Tuesday meeting.

A lower number of clients than what was expected are utilizing meals at the House of Compassion.

Director Jasmine Spikes brought participation numbers to the Marshall County Food Access Committee meeting on Tuesday to get some insight into possible barriers people are facing.

“We’ve just seen a weird dip in our numbers,” she said. “. . . If there is a barrier preventing people from getting what they need, I would like to address it so they can get food.”

Spikes gave some background for the committee members. Covering each month in 2025, she provided the average number of people who got meals at the House of Compassion. There were 43 people in January; 45, February; 49 in both March and April; 46, May; 47, June; 51 in both July and August; 50, September; 52, October; 46, November; and 43, December. She said that makes an average of 50 daily people last year.

Spikes noted that the November number does not include two special events – meals provided by La Carretta and a Marshalltown High School sandwich day. Taking those into consideration, the average number is 77.

In January of this year, she said there was a high number of 43 clients, and a low number of 28, the latter which is closer to the average. In February, there was a high number of 44 clients and a low of 16, which is also closer to last month’s average.

“I wanted to ask, does anyone know why we’re seeing such low numbers all of a sudden?” Spikes asked. “We were projecting to see a much higher amount of people using the soup kitchen. I did notice there are less families coming in, and seeing less families with younger kids. We’re seeing more of our usual clients.”

She said the families with younger children, who were fairly consistent in attendance last year, have not been seen. Something Spikes wanted to note was there have been a couple of teenagers going to the House of Compassion by themselves.

Marshalltown Community School District (MCSD) Director of Food Service Lynn Large told her the schools typically serve less kids in January because many families will leave the area around Christmas time and do not return for a few weeks.

It was asked if the weather could be impacting people arriving at the House of Compassion. Spikes said she originally thought so, but on the nights with the coldest temperatures, the number of people who came were comparable to 2025.

“There’s some sort of variable that I’m missing here,” she said.

Spikes added the House is not seeing a decrease in clients overall, as the supply closet is still well-utilized and they have higher numbers of clients seeking help with utilities. However, she added that is not uncommon during the first three months of a calendar year.

“Because one family can only use up to $150 once a year,” Spikes said. “If they wanted to use it again, they would have to roll over to the next year.”

Community Foundation of Marshall County Director Julie Hitchins suggested that the House of Compassion could publish the meals menu a week beforehand.

“I wonder if coming in, not knowing what you’re having for dinner is a barrier,” she said.

Spikes told her they could do that, as whenever people know HyVee is preparing the meal, the House sees a higher number of clients.

Marshall County Extension Director Amy Pieper asked if any of the other food pantries had seen a decline in the number of users. Spikes said if they had seen an increase, that might explain the dip in the House’s numbers. There were not any significant decreases or increases reported.

Joel Gummert with Treasured by God Ministries in Gilman told Spikes that getting and keeping the word out to people about the service is handy, and referred to the monthly meals they provide.

“When we advertise on our Facebook page, we usually have around 100-125 people show up,” he said. “If we kick the word out there every two weeks we are going to be open, we average around 200 people in two hours. It’s not just letting people know, but also keeping it in front of them.”

Spikes also asked committee attendees if there were any questions they would like the House of Compassion to ask clients during the monthly survey. She said the survey answers are anonymous, and are used to figure out what resources people need, identifying potential barriers to employment. To show appreciation to the clients who provide answers, Spikes said they are allowed to take one item from the supply closet.

Two suggested questions were whether or not clients are using little food pantries, and if people would like to know the House’s menu prior to the meal.

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.