Local church to be site for food bank distribution

Crossroads Wesleyan Church (CWC) in Imperial, began a service to the community on Feb. 10 by distributing food to families bi-monthly.
“As we are blessed to be in  partnership with Heartland Food Bank in Omaha, CWC will be providing a large variety of food twice a month at the church to help families in need around the area,” said Wanda Westfahl, co-coordinator with Pastor Alex Gebert.  
The Heartland truck delivered 3,000+ pounds of food including meats, breads, fresh, frozen, canned and dry food items all donated by Heartland. The food was distributed to 56 families with a total of 197 individuals, Westfahl said.
Westfahl said they are very grateful to the Imperial Community Foundation Fund for helping them get their project started with a grant to purchase two freezers. “All the volunteers who came and worked so hard with the distribution made this project a success—both in front of and behind the scenes. We are so thankful,” she said.
A big thank-you goes out to the Lions Club for braving the cold to help unload the truck and box up food, Westfahl said.
“Also, I want to mention Ray Malleck for helping us get our carts ready,” she added. “We can always use volunteers to unload the truck and get food ready to distribute,” she said.
The first food bank at CWC went very well.
“We are so pleased with the turnout,” Westfahl said.
“We have been getting great feedback from people saying how happy they were with the large variety of food choices,” she said.
Announcements for future food bank distributions can be found on the church FaceBook page, Twitter, Instagram and announced on KADL Call (radio), said Pastor Gebert.
“This food is for anyone in the community who wants it,” he said. The next scheduled food truck will be delivering the week of Feb. 22, said Westfahl.
The exact date and time is not known yet, but people can watch for an announcement on any of the online sites or KADL Call, said Pastor Gebert.
Distribution by appointment
Anyone is welcome to come pick up food on food bank day, but they can only pick it up by making an appointment ahead of time, Westfahl said.
“We need to have an idea of how much food will be needed on food bank days to best serve the community,” she said.
To make an appointment to pick up food, call Westfahl at 308-882-8751.
“If you make an appointment but have to cancel, call me (Westfahl) or Pastor Gebert at CWC at 308-882-5010 or his cell at 1-864-498-2164,” she said.