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Live United by Erin Haag

This week, we held our second Welcome Pantry at the Armory. We weren’t sure what to expect because the first one was pretty slow. We had a feeling though, based on the number of phone calls and our past experience with Pop Up Pantries. Well, our feeling was spot on. The Welcome Pantry was open for two hours. In approximately one hour, we served over 200 households with fresh produce, dairy and meat.

It was hard. Mobile food distribution is hard — there’s no easy way around it. In a normal food pantry, you’re able to space out the shoppers, store food from one day to the next. Our space plans for approximately 15 shoppers an hour, not 200. So that means there’s lines, there’s waiting, there’s overheated spaces with a lot of noise. There’s the challenge of ordering enough food so there’s choices and everyone gets something, but not having food leftover. There’s the logistics of carrying the groceries. People are shopping but there’s no shopping carts. We asked people to bring their own containers — which they did. Some brought wagons, some brought carts, laundry baskets and reusable shopping bags. The thing is though, you only have two hands. We had volunteers helping and wagons and carts constantly going from the shopping area to the parking lot. We could have used triple the carts and triple the volunteers. A large percent of our shoppers were coming in using walkers, canes or were in wheelchairs. Some of our seniors struggled with standing in line. Mothers came in with their young children, juggling holding hands while choosing their groceries as they moved through the line. It’s hard for shoppers. It’s hard for volunteers. It’s hard for staff. 

As fast as a mobile distribution goes, there’s still a sense of community. You hear volunteers and shoppers alike greeting each other. Shoppers chat with each other in line. Working in our direct service programs, Nikolle, Heidi and I have gotten to know many of our community members who struggle financially. We know their names and some of their stories. It gives me great joy each and every time that I see someone that I recognize, because I know that the word got out. I have two gentleman in particular that I look for each time — and if they’re not there, I worry about them. In fact, one has taken to calling me to let me know if he won’t be there because he knows I worry about him. 

We notice who’s missing. At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a gentleman that would always be first in line at the Pop-Up Pantries. He was ornery, liked to give the volunteers a hard time and joked around. He shared how he lost his job during COVID, and then suffered a severe heart attack. He worked hard and recovered, losing over 50 pounds. He still struggled with medical bills and wasn’t physically able to work. Rain or shine though, he’d be waiting for me as I arrived, sometimes in the pre-dawn hours. (It’s work, remember?)  He’d park his car and then hop right out, helping me place signs and started directing traffic. He would welcome the volunteers, joke around, but always followed up to make sure we knew how grateful he was. I once saw him get out of his car and march over to another shopper in line that was complaining loudly about the wait when our truck broke down on the way. He had a thing or two to say about that, and the shopper calmed down. I haven’t seen him in over a year. I look for him every time. I searched the obituaries, but I’ve never found him. Of course, I only know his first name and the color of his car. I know he thought that wearing a black mask with bacon on it was the funniest thing ever, and that he loved his grandkids beyond reason. I think of him fondly, and hope that he’s somewhere, happy and healthy. 

It may not be fun for people, but oh it was a joy for people. That might seem contradictory, but there’s a joy in being grateful for the food, in being grateful for the help in carrying out groceries. Shoppers shared the joy in having quality foods. Our third shopper in line was a senior with a walker. She brought her handmade reusable shopping bags. Recognizing she wouldn’t be able to keep them all on the seat of her walker, I grabbed a wagon and walked alongside her. She wasn’t always close enough to the table, so I’d grab an example, and bring it closer, and ask her if that was something she wanted. She’d say yes or no, and I’d ask her how many. I reminded her repeatedly that it was her choice — however many she thought she needed. She would keep asking, “Would two be OK?” Yes, two boxes of cereal is okay. When we got to the strawberry yogurt she said, “Oh! That’s my favorite! I’d eat it every day for breakfast if I could!” I gave her three yogurts, and she had tears in her eyes. She refused to take any fruit, because she was taking three of the yogurts. They were the Dunkaroos brand — small vanilla cookies that you could dip into the yogurt. There’s four to a box — she got 12 servings. She chose to bypass apples and mango in favor of a little extra of her favorite strawberry yogurt and cookies — and she had tears in her eyes to have that opportunity. 

On Thursday, Nikolle, Heidi and I sat down and mapped out a plan for the rest of the year. We were able to confirm that we’ll be doing a Welcome Pantry distribution on the third Tuesday of each month, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. We’re also gearing up for the Winter Gear Drive, and will be collecting coats in October and distributing them. Suffice to say, we’ll need lots of help to do this amazing work in our community. It will be hard work, but we know that we’ll find joy in it all. If you’d like to join us, to give where you live, please give us a call at 507-373-8670.  

Erin Haag is the executive director of the United Way of Freeborn County.