The Iola Area Food Pantry will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov, 10, for any Iola area residents.
The pantry is located inside the east entrance of Our Saviors Lutheran Church, 395 East Iola Street, Iola.
Over the past 30 years, Sharon Peterson has helped people who have been referred to the pantry on an as needed basis, in addition to holiday baskets for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“Rollie and Lynn Myers, along with Steve and Mary Olson have been helping me out recently,” said Peterson. “Mary thought it would be a good idea to see if there was a need for the pantry to be open on a more regular basis.” She goes on to say, “This may only be a one-time thing, but we will see how it works.”
The pantry is open for anyone who is in need of food in Iola or the surrounding area. Anyone wishing to visit should bring proof of residency which could be in the form of a utility bill, drivers license, or any other proof of their address. In addition, if children are living with them, they should bring proof of names and ages.
“Upon arrival, each visitor (household) will fill out a registration form which will ask for information to determine who will be using the food,” said Mary Olson.
Once the registration form is completed, they will be taken through the pantry to choose food their household can use.
“In the future if there is a proven need, the Iola pantry could qualify to receive food from such programs as Feeding America, Roundy’s and the Stock the Shelves Campaign,” said Olson. “This would allow the pantry to be open on a regular basis.”