posted on Wednesday, August 2, 2017
“Many families in our community have multiple children and mouths to feed so nutrition is really important,” said Nancy Bartling, the coordinator of the food pantry in Ackley. “The pork loins are a great help – I’m all for protein and good nutrients!”
Located in the basement of the St. John's UCC, the food pantry is supported by the ministerial association which lifts a burden off Nancy’s shoulders. “We can reach out to them we are in need of something. Whether it’s pasta, canned goods or personal items they are able to put an announcement in local church bulletins and it’s usually shortly thereafter that the donations start coming in,” explained Nancy. “We’re very fortunate.”
The Ackley Food Pantry has been in operation for 20 years; however, this is only Nancy’s fourth year as the director. “Thus far in June we’ve had 17 families come visit us and I expect that to reach 25 by the end of the month,” she said. “We open our doors on an appointment-only basis and it’s a system that seems to work out pretty well for us. Families come in once a month and put together a box with all of the items that they need.”
After unloading 84 loins into the freezer, our crew packed up and headed west towards Iowa Falls. “It’s been a fun experience to be a part of,” said Blake Fonken, a summer intern with Iowa Select Farms. “The pantries that we’ve visited have been so grateful for this donation and you can really tell that we’re making a positive impact. I’m glad we were able to help.”
22 food pantries, 150 miles and 11,000 pounds of pork later – what a great second day we’ve had. Thanks for following along! #HaulOutHunger#BillionPlus
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