Iola Food Pantry begins regular hours in June

IOLA – With an increase in community food needs, the Iola Food Pantry is starting regular hours beginning June 3. The food pantry will be open the first and third Wednesday from 8 to 10 a.m. and the second and fourth Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m.
People can pull up on the John Street side of the Iola Food Pantry (located in Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 395 E Iola St.), and volunteers will check on household size, then load food into the person’s car.
The Iola Food Pantry started in 1983, as a project of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Mary Circle.
But last year’s government shutdown came at the same time as a large food drive by the Iola-Scandinavia DECA club. The Iola Food Pantry had lots of food – and people needed it. So, several “No Questions Asked Food Box Giveaways” were organized in December, March, April, and May. More food went out, and people gained new awareness of the Iola Food Pantry.
“The response to these events has been clear,” said Gail Kenny, pastor at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. “People need food, and we have volunteers willing to serve. So why not have regular hours for our community, like most pantries do?”
Morning and evening hours and two different days help people who work various shifts, or can only get to the food pantry on certain days.
For more information, call Our Savior’s Lutheran Church at 715-445-2666.