County to fund Geary County Food Pantry for $50,000 to help with planned building

Mar. 15—The Geary County Commission voted unanimously to provide $50,000 to the Geary County Food Pantry to help the organization build a better location for its food distribution.

Debbie Johns, director of the food pantry, and Don Manley, president elect of the board of directors, said the space they currently work out of is much too small to handle the amount of food storage necessary and to update the organization's food distribution model.

Johns said they have been struggling with space for a while, since they rent a basement area at 138 W. 3rd St. She said the organization uses "every inch" for storage and holds food distribution outdoors.

She said the pantry has seen an increase of people coming to receive food over the past few months.

"January and February are usually slower months at the food pantry, but it's been really busy," she said. "I think a lot of it has to do with the current economic situation."

Since the organization's last update to the county commission, Johns said the staff and board members have evaluated how the organization operates and ways to improve. She said volunteers currently pre-packs boxes of food and hand them to people, but current good practice for food pantries is to have clients come in and pick their own food.

"It takes less volunteers, and it reduces waste, so you're not giving somebody a can of carrots when they don't like carrots," she said.

With such limited space, the organization is challenged in finding a way to incorporate that model. Because there is not enough indoor space, Johns said people have to stand outdoors to wait for food, which exposes people to harsh elements in extreme weather.

"I'd like to have a space where there is a living area, so they don't have to wait outside in line," she said.

Johns said food is distributed three times a week with around 72 families per month receiving emergency food assistance through the Geary County Food Pantry. Manley said people start lining up as early as 8 a.m. when they distribute food at 10:30 a.m.

"We think that the current economic forecast is just going to lead to greater needs here," Johns said. "I think we'll continue to see more and more people coming into the food pantry."

Commissioner Trish Giordano asked whether the organization is looking at moving or building a space. Johns replied that they are looking to build. Giordano said she recognized their need for indoor space, because outdoor elements, like snow, can potentially stop the food pantry from being able to serve those who are food insecure on certain days.

Johns said the American Pediatric Association lists two questions that help define whether someone is food insecure. The first is "Are you worried that your food will run out before you get the money to buy more?" and the second is agreeing with the statement "The food we got didn't last if we didn't have money to get more."

"We offer a band-aid with emergency food, but we'd like to do more. I think, as a community, we need to do more. We have to promote equity and a bridge out of that poverty," Johns said. "We want to really get them to stability and self-sufficiency. That's our goal, and we're just running out of space, and that's why we're here."

She said they would like to help those who don't have SNAP benefits to get on benefits so the pantry isn't their only source for food, because the pantry can't provide all that they need.

Giordano asked whether they have goals for what they are needing to build.

Manley said they are looking to build approximately 6,000 square feet. The current space they work out of is around 2,000 square feet. He said they need to start a building fund and set money goals to work toward. He estimated the project to cost them $300,000 or more for just the building. He said the pieces of land they've looked at so far cost around $150,000.

Giordano said the county had some extra sales tax it can use to help. She moved to provide $50,000 to the food pantry, giving $25,000 now and another $25,000 in six months. Commissioner Keith Ascher seconded the motion and asked the organization to keep the commissioners posted on the progress.

"Everybody asks for money, but I think at some point, we do have a moral obligation to the citizens," he said. "I don't think food prices are coming down."

The commissioners voted unanimously to fund the organization for $50,000 to help it build a better space for its services.