The Barnes County Food Pantry in Valley City received a $600 check from Brenda and Tim Derheim, owners of Smith Lumber Company, money raised from a recent celebration the business held.
It’s a welcome donation – particularly as the pantry faces high demand and diminishing supplies.
“Great Plains is having a hard time getting food too, and it used to be that we’d get a lot of free stuff from them. That has been very limited,” Lisa Johnson, manager and outreach worker for the pantry, told the Times-Record. “So we do utilize our local markets as we can, I order some things from Leevers, I get my hamburger meat and sausage from Valley Meat, (but) I’ve been ordering a lot more online, from Amazon, from Walmart. We do about 88 boxes a month.”
The pantry serves low-income families, the elderly and people on disability with fixed incomes. So far, with a bit of smart management and community support, the local food pantry is weathering the supply chain woes impacting the whole nation, and Johnson wants to continue the current pace for as long as she’s able.
“So far we’ve been good with donations and we’ve gotten some grant money, but things can change. I try to do things a little more conservatively,” Johnson said. “Before COVID, we gave a foodbox out once every three months; when COVID started we switched to once-a-month and we have not switched back.”
Still, the call for donations and support remains open and urgent. They’ll be glad to take monetary donations, but if people want to pass along canned goods, the pantry has provided a list of needed items that’d be especially welcome.
“We will take any unexpired canned goods,” Johnson said.
To make use of the food pantry, one needs a referral from a social services agency or a church or somebody connected to the pantry. The Barnes County Food Pantry is located in the South Central Adult Services building at 139 2nd Ave. SE. It is an all-volunteer organization.
Below is a list of sought-after donation items. Note that in all instances of jars, plastic is preferred over glass for safety reasons. The list is as follows:
Peanut Butter, jelly, canned pears, pineapple/applesauce/mixed fruit, baking mixes (muffins, cake, brownies), Hamburger and Tuna Helper, canned ravioli, instant potatoes, green beans, peas, jello (pudding in boxes), canned peaches, juice in bottles, pancake mix, syrup (small and large bottles), spaghetti or boxed or bagged macaroni, spaghetti sauce in cans, canned tuna or chicken, mac and cheese in boxes, canned oranges, soda crackers, cereal (boxes or bags), soup, corn, baked beans or other canned beans, rice, ketchup or BBQ sauce, shampoo or conditioner (full-sized bottles), bar soap (full-sized bars), toothpaste, laundry soap, dish soap, toilet paper, paper towels, facial tissues.
Donations of money are used for products such as meat, eggs, milk, fresh veggies, fresh fruit and bread. Certificates are given for these items to be picked up at the local grocers with the exception of meat which is given out frozen. Other money is used to purchase items they run short of.
No out of date items will be accepted.
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