Certain items go quickly, but Emergency Food Box will take any donations
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As with many households and businesses, some things are difficult to keep stocked for the Marshalltown Emergency Food Box (EFB).
Co-chairs Regina West and Conny Schutte said there are some items Marshalltown residents can donate which do not stay on EFB shelves too long.
Of course, any canned goods are used, but canned fruit in particular has proved challenging.
"If people can bring what they can," Schutte said. "We are buying most of our canned fruits right now in limited availability at the Food Bank of Iowa. Canned fruits are something I am shopping for. I don't buy a lot of them, and I was shocked at how expensive they are."
Reports indicate one of the reasons for the increased cost of canned fruit are tariffs, specifically ones placed on imported steel which is necessary to produce the cans. The co-chairs understand the higher sticker prices placed on canned fruits are the result of grocery stores paying higher prices, as well.
The increased cost felt by businesses have impacted how much they donate to the EFB.
"We're seeing less, but I think it's because their purchases are less to cover their bottom line also," Schutte said. "It's a balancing act for them, as well. I applaud the ones who do donate to us, because it is used and appreciated."
Items on the EFB "bonus" shelf – from which clients can choose one item – do not stay long. According to West, condiments, such as ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise, are kept on the "bonus" shelf, and they try to keep those on hand as most clients use those.
"Some things on our bonus shelf we're lacking, that we have tried to keep better stocked is cake mix and frosting, pancake syrup and pancake mix," West said. "People like those."
The EFB volunteers always try to make sure there is cake mix and frosting on hand.
Schutte said she has found a fun cake mix activity to do with children or grandchildren. She uses a 9×13 cake pan, one box of cake mix, one can of soda and a can of frosting.
"You can make a birthday cake out of that cake mix and soda," she said. "You don't need eggs or anything extra."
After Schutte makes one of the soda cakes and spreads the frosting on top, she brings it to the EFB, along with a package of candles. The cakes are kept for children with upcoming birthdays, and it has proven to be a popular item.
"Making those cakes is a good learning experience for children, to know some children may not get a birthday cake," she said. "The parents, grandparents, caregivers – when they find out they can get one, they are overjoyed."
The cakes do not change too much without the addition of eggs, vegetable oil or water. West said the soda cakes are flakier.
"It tastes good," she said. "You can use flavored pop – orange or strawberry or whatever. You can use diet, which reduces the fat and calories. If you have a sugar-free cake mix and put a sugar-free can of soda in it, you have a pretty low sugar cake for a diabetic."
West said they try, but have trouble stocking specialized diet items, such as things that are gluten free or sugar free. Another category of foods which are difficult to keep on the shelves are cultural foods.
"We had some bags of Asian foods with whole meals about a year ago, and they flew out of here," she said. "It wasn't just Asian residents taking them, either."
Large ounce bottles of juice, such as 32- or 64-, and foods children enjoy also do not stay very long.
"The 64-ounces are very popular and go very quickly," Schutte said.
"We get some of those in but they go out fast," West added.
Children-loved food extends beyond chips, cookies or cereal. Keeping baby food supplied is difficult.
"Baby food that is not expired," West said. "We have to throw out expired baby food, but if we can get pouches that are stages one, two or three – we go through those fast."
Schutte said flour also does not stay too long.
"We have quite a bit of corn flour, but people don't like to cook or know how to cook with corn flour," she said. "Regular flour is popular"
If residents do not have the fast-going EFB items on hand to donate, but still want to help, Schutte said they can donate money.
"We can stretch that. Depression-era stretching is what we do and we make it work," she said. "But we will take any donations."
INFORMATION
Name: Marshalltown Emergency Food Box
Address: 107 N. First St.
Phone: 641-753-2801
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.