Newell Food Pantry— Haul Out Hunger

“When we received word that nearly 80 families from our community were traveling 20 miles to access a food pantry we knew we needed to do something,” said Bobbie Wise of the Newell Food Pantry. “We had no idea there was such a need right in front of us.”

What started as an idea between a few community members and a church has now turned into a flourishing food pantry that serves 25 families a month.

“We are still hoping to expand our reach because we know there is a need,” explained Susan Puhrmann, secretary of the food pantry board. “We work closely with the school nurse who knows which children are showing up to school hungry. She has been very helpful at sending families our way.”

The Newell Food Pantry opens its doors the second and fourth Saturday of every month from 9 AM-Noon. The pantry is also available for emergency food assistance by calling 712-730-2580.

“We strive to provide a variety of products for our clients, but quality meat is something we’re still working on,” said Susan. “When we heard we were going to receive a donation from Iowa Select Farms we were so excited. We’ve never received a meat donation like this before.”

During today’s trip, our team unloaded 60 pork loins for the Newell Pantry—enough to provide 1,080 servings of protein-packed pork for area families in need. In addition to pork, the pantry receives a Henry’s Heroes package with diapers, wipes, ice packs and personal hygiene items for children.

“This Henry’s Heroes package is great because it’s not just food people struggle to afford,” said Bobbie. “It’s personal items, household supplies and baby essentials. We try to keep some on hand at the pantry, but they’re expensive for us, too.”

Although this was our first visit to the Newell Food Pantry, it definitely won’t be our last! We can’t wait to see how the pantry continues to evolve and serve their community in the coming years.

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