Haul Out Hunger: Holy Trinity Parish Food Pantry - Fort Dodge
posted on Thursday, July 5, 2018
“We are here to help fill the gap between families' grocery lists and food bills,” explained MaryLou Kirby of the Holy Trinity Parish Food Pantry in Fort Dodge. “Unfortunately, the bills usually far outweigh the list and families have to leave expensive things behind. That means meat and other high-value items that are the most nutritious don’t typically make it home.”
Since 2004, the Catholic food pantry has been serving families in Fort Dodge and surrounding communities. Currently, the pantry serves approximately 1,876 families per year.
“All of our clients are very grateful for the services we provide,” said Rick Salocker, who is one of 18 dedicated volunteers at the pantry. “We are supported by generous gifts of food, household supplies, donations from Holy Trinity parishioners and companies like Iowa Select Farms. We look forward to these pork loins every summer.”
According to Feeding America, one in eight Iowans is food-insecure. In fact, nearly 14.3% of Webster County is considered to be living in poverty. Haul Out Hunger is a program of Iowa Select Farms and the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation to help alleviate hunger in the state of Iowa. This year alone we donated more than 60,000 pounds of pork for families in need. 2,040 pounds of that pork stayed in Webster County.
“Our protein costs are a major expense for the pantry and this donation helps us tremendously,” continued Rick. “It allows us to focus our funds towards other items and expand the services we offer to clients. It lifts a burden for us, which in return allows us to provide additional hunger relief for families in our community.”
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