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In Marshalltown, we take care of our neighbors. We see it in our churches, our schools, our local businesses, and the countless volunteers who give their time to help someone going through a difficult stretch. But a troubling trend at the Emergency Food Box tells us that more of our neighbors are struggling to make ends meet.
According to important recent reporting in this newspaper, the Emergency Food Box served approximately 400 families per month in 2023. Today, that number has climbed to 500 families, representing roughly 1,900 people. Marshalltown individuals and families are trying their best to get by on resources that used to be enough to cover bills and food. Now, in this time of increasing unaffordability, our community is facing challenges that we haven't seen in years.
Those aren’t just statistics. They’re our neighbors. They’re seniors living on fixed incomes, parents trying to stretch their paychecks, and people who have worked hard their entire lives but are finding that their money simply doesn’t go as far as it used to.
The organization’s co-chairs, Conny Schutte and Regina West, have described an especially concerning increase in demand among older residents. Retirees who carefully planned their finances are now confronting higher prices for groceries, gasoline, insurance, and prescription medications. Working families are also facing higher health insurance costs and deductibles.
For many households, one unexpected expense can be enough to turn an already tight budget into a crisis.
As Marshalltown’s former police chief, I spent years working with people facing difficult circumstances. I learned that a strong community depends on more than responding to emergencies. It depends on recognizing problems early, treating people with dignity, and connecting them with the help they need. Food insecurity is one of those problems.
The volunteers at the Emergency Food Box are doing extraordinary work. They stretch donations, purchase food at discounted prices through the Food Bank of Iowa, and work with local businesses to rescue food that might otherwise go to waste. Marshalltown residents have responded generously with donations and food drives. That generosity is something our community can be proud of.
But we should also recognize that food pantries cannot solve every underlying problem that brings people through their doors.
When working people cannot afford groceries, we need to understand the pressures on their household budgets. When retirees find that their savings no longer cover basic expenses, we need to examine the costs they face. And when families struggle to access affordable health care, housing, and reliable employment, those challenges deserve serious attention.
There are practical steps policymakers can consider: protecting access to nutrition assistance, supporting local food distribution networks, reducing unnecessary barriers to assistance, and examining how state policies affect the cost of everyday necessities.
We also need to listen to the people doing this work. Organizations like the Emergency Food Box understand the needs of our community because they see them every day.
In the meantime, there is something each of us can do.
The Emergency Food Box, located at 107 North First Street in Marshalltown, welcomes food and financial donations. Financial contributions are especially valuable because volunteers can often purchase food at prices far below what individual shoppers pay.
No one should feel ashamed of needing help. And no community should ignore the warning signs when more of its residents struggle to afford something as basic as food.
Marshalltown has always been a place where neighbors look out for one another. The growing demand at the Emergency Food Box is a reminder of how important that commitment remains.
Mike Tupper is the former Marshalltown police chief and a candidate for Iowa House District 52.