Church food pantry approaches one year milestone of community giving

Crossroads Wesleyan Church, in conjunction with the Food Bank for the Heartland, began a food pantry ministry distributing free food to the community in February 2021.
This “giving” program is in addition to other food pantry distributions within Chase County that provide food and other items needed by area families.
It’s been one year, and Crossroads Wesleyan Church Food Pantry is celebrating efforts to provide community families with a large variety of food.
The Heartland food bank truck delivers food to CWC the end of each month for a one-day distribution.
 Appointments are not needed, and eight families are able to shop at a time.
For safety sake, masks are encouraged but not required while in the church building.
“The CWC Food Pantry is for everyone. There are no guidelines for who can pick up food, and people can choose their own groceries so there’s less chance of waste,” said CWC food pantry team member Brad Hink-Wagner.
The number of families using the food pantry has been slowly increasing over the past year, he said.
“For those families who receive assistance and may be running short on food at the end of the month, this pantry is especially helpful to them,” he said.
Over the last year, 57,000 lbs. of food have been distributed to 3,366 area people—that number is approximately 400 less than the population of Chase County, he added.
That averages out to be around 4,700 lbs. of food a month, although is varies per month. About 90-plus families are served each month.
“That tells me there’s a need in the community that can be filled,” he said.
Carts are available for family shopping, and limits are marked in front of all products, he continued.
The next CWC food pantry distribution is this Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the church located at 220 W. 17th St.
For convenience, participants can enter through the back parking lot doors.
“This month’s distribution will be our largest ever. We are expecting to distribute over 8,000 lbs. of food,” said fellow team member Sheri Hink-Wagner.
Expected food items for this month’s pantry include chicken, ground beef, canned fruits, vegetables, cereal, pasta and more, she said.
“Putting on pantries is a lot of work, and we are always looking for help,” she said.
“We can use volunteers to unload the truck and/or distribute food.”
Thursday’s food pantry team needs help unloading the truck at 3 p.m. and distribution from 5 to 7 p.m.
They often run out of boxes for picking up food, so it is requested that people bring boxes, laundry baskets or coolers in which to carry food home.
For questions, more information or to volunteer, go online to Crossroads Wesleyan Church Food Pantry on Facebook or call/text Brad Hink-Wagner at 402-499-7175.