Driving Out Hunger With Mobile Pantries

One Tuesday morning, Chris Dickinson, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s Special Projects Coordinator, traveled over 160 miles to a vacant church parking lot in Wisconsin Rapids where volunteers waited to help unload 10 pallets full of food for a mobile pantry.

Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin’s mobile pantry program brings healthy, nutritious food directly to families and individuals facing hunger in areas of high need throughout eastern Wisconsin.

Over 60 volunteers from The Neighborhood Table (TNT) and the South Wood Emerging Pantry Shelf (SWEPS) helped at the annual mobile pantry. “This is the 4th year we’ve partnered with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin to host a mobile pantry,” Pat Barton, a volunteer helping at registration shared. “The need is absolutely in this area.”

As cars began to roll in, volunteers lined up carts filled with food which were then loaded into the vehicles.

“Meat often times is left off the grocery list because of its price,” Dale Bikowski, former president and current board member of TNT said. “Today, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin brought poultry, yogurt, milk, fresh vegetables, fruit and much more.”

Bikowski helped organize the mobile pantry along with Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin. “It’s a well-oiled machine,” He said while volunteers helped load the vehicles up with food. “Our residents are very appreciative of this mobile pantry.”

Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin operates a number of outreach programs, providing healthy, nutritious food for those who need assistance.

Roughly 120 mobile pantries are held each year, providing approximately 10,000 pounds of food. In just two hours over 340 households in Wisconsin Rapids drove home with an abundance of food. Anything leftover went to the local pantry.