Pop-up pantry feeding hundreds every week
More volunteers sought to keep deliveries going
Every Thursday afternoon since May, the front entrance of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Abbotsford has been transformed into a pop-up pantry for those in need of food.
Thousands of pounds of meat, milk, cheese, fruits, vegetables and baked goods are distributed to local individuals and families every week, helping to alleviate hunger at a time when many are struggling financially.
The two hours of food distribution, from 2 to 4 p.m., are made possible by at least four hours of volunteer work by parishioners and others who unload semi-loads of bulk food and repackage the items into individual- and family-size bags and boxes.
Fr. Tim Oudenhoven said the 20 to 25 volunteers who show up every Thursday — including a core group of 10 to 15 — are responsible for providing food for about 200 families every week.
The pop-up pantry is a collaboration between the church and the Feed My People Food Bank in Eau Claire, which distributes food across 14 counties in westcentral Wisconsin. Started in 1982 by six churches, FMP provided food to over 70,000 people last year.
Fr. Oudenhoven said the idea for setting up a food pantry in Abbotsford came to him after the COVID-19 outbreak caused a restriction on the number of Masses that could be held last spring. The priest was only able to hold private Masses for up to nine people at a time upon request, and that left him with more time and energy than he normally has.
At first, the church tried working with the United Way of Marathon County and the Neighbor’s Place, but the volume of food needed quickly grew too large for those organizations to handle.
In July, Fr. Oudenhoven turned to FMP to fill this evergrowing need. For an annual fee of just $75, he said the church has been able to access thousands of dollars worth of food and other items at greatly reduced prices. FMP is able to do this by working with government agencies and food producers to provide surplus food to those who need it the most. With all of the discounts applied, Fr. Oudenhoven says it costs about $1.25 to $2 every week to feed each family.
No one is turned away if they show up for food, but they are asked to fill out a form that helps FMP keep track of demographic information.
Fr. Oudenhoven said it takes volunteers about 40 seconds to load up each vehicle with food, and they need to be that quick because they have to make it through at least 150 cars, trucks and minivans in a two-hour period. At times, cars have been lined up around the church and backed up onto Cedar Street.
Food is also delivered to people’s homes with the help of volunteer drivers and COVID-19 contact tracers working for Clark and Marathon counties who identify those in need.
Each recipient receives a breakfast bag with items like cereal and mini waffles, along with produce, dairy products, baked goods and 12 to 14 pounds of meat for families. For Christmas, the pantry is providing four-pound hams, along with laundry detergent as an extra gift.
Fr. Oudenhoven said some of those who show up every week for food are in real tough situations, with a few appearing to be living out of their vehicles. He said one woman picks up food for five adults with mental disabilities living together in one home.
“We love to fill her car up,” he said. “She’s just wonderful.”
So far, most of the financial contributions have come from members of St. Bernard’s and St. Louis in Dorchester, along with a few businesses that have made significant donations.
To build on this spirit of generosity, Fr. Oudenhoven said they are launching a partnership program in which local businesses will be asked to provide the funding for a week’s worth of food, along with volunteers on Thursday afternoon.
He says it could be a great team-building exercise for coworkers.
The work needed to run the pantry ranges from unloading and unpacking boxes of food to stuffing tote bags for food recipients. Fr. Oudenhoven said a few of their volunteers are in their late 80s, and just focus on breaking down empty cardboard boxes.
“There’s something for everybody,” he said. To keep the pantry going, he said the local group, known as the Abbotsford Area Collaborative Team, needs a steady supply of volunteers willing to work every Thursday from noon until 4 p.m.
“Money isn’t the biggest issue,” he said. “It’s people working that we need.”
Those interested in volunteering or donating to the pop-up pantry can call St. Bernard’s Church at 715-223-4026.
MANY HANDS -Preparing the pantry involves everything from unloading semi-loads of food boxes to filling tote bags with individual food items for families in need.
