By Janaki Jane
Ask anyone who has been there: the Lyons Community Food Pantry is one of the highest quality food pantries anywhere. The Community Food Pantry provides supplemental food to any resident of the Lyons area who comes in. Needing a little extra help with finances is a place that almost all of us have been. Knowing that you can pick up about $40 of food a week (give or take) can really help the bottom line, whether you go every week or four times a year. Some people line up
early—as early as 2 o’clock—and they enjoy the social aspect of it, talking things over with friends and neighbors. Some people come by later, when there are fewer people, and they can walk in the door and go right through the line picking out their food, and go home with a minimum of fuss.
The Community Food Pantry is run by volunteers. They drive down, in their own vehicles, to the Community Food Share in Lafayette every Tuesday, load about 1000 pounds of food into the van, drive back to Lyons and unload and put the food away in one of the freezers, refrigerators or locked closets at the church. Then on Wednesday morning, more volunteers show up to weigh the food and decide what they have enough of to put out that week. Every week they have things like cereal, canned and fresh produce, canned beans, rice or spaghetti, meat, dairy and bread. Other staples vary: some weeks they have cleaning products, some weeks paper towels and toilet paper, some weeks toiletries. If you come to the Food Pantry, you will be greet by a friendly person who will give you a number. You will either wait a bit (if you come early), or immediately start through the line. There will be a volunteer to guide you, telling you how many of each thing you can take—that depends on how many in your household—helping you decide which is best if you want input, and helping you carry what you get. There are boxes and bags there, too, if you don’t have your own.
The Food Pantry can always use donations. We try to post what we need each week on Facebook. If you have questions, contact us at foodpantry@leaflyons.org.
- See more at: http://www.lyonsrecorder.com/index.php/lyons-chatter/6374-one-of-the-highest-quality-food-pantries-anywhere#sthash.oTpeLZCw.dpuf
Ask anyone who has been there: the Lyons Community Food Pantry is one of the highest quality food pantries anywhere. The Community Food Pantry provides supplemental food to any resident of the Lyons area who comes in. Needing a little extra help with finances is a place that almost all of us have been. Knowing that you can pick up about $40 of food a week (give or take) can really help the bottom line, whether you go every week or four times a year. Some people line up
early—as early as 2 o’clock—and they enjoy the social aspect of it, talking things over with friends and neighbors. Some people come by later, when there are fewer people, and they can walk in the door and go right through the line picking out their food, and go home with a minimum of fuss.
The Community Food Pantry is run by volunteers. They drive down, in their own vehicles, to the Community Food Share in Lafayette every Tuesday, load about 1000 pounds of food into the van, drive back to Lyons and unload and put the food away in one of the freezers, refrigerators or locked closets at the church. Then on Wednesday morning, more volunteers show up to weigh the food and decide what they have enough of to put out that week. Every week they have things like cereal, canned and fresh produce, canned beans, rice or spaghetti, meat, dairy and bread. Other staples vary: some weeks they have cleaning products, some weeks paper towels and toilet paper, some weeks toiletries. If you come to the Food Pantry, you will be greet by a friendly person who will give you a number. You will either wait a bit (if you come early), or immediately start through the line. There will be a volunteer to guide you, telling you how many of each thing you can take—that depends on how many in your household—helping you decide which is best if you want input, and helping you carry what you get. There are boxes and bags there, too, if you don’t have your own.
The Food Pantry can always use donations. We try to post what we need each week on Facebook. If you have questions, contact us at foodpantry@leaflyons.org.
- See more at: http://www.lyonsrecorder.com/index.php/lyons-chatter/6374-one-of-the-highest-quality-food-pantries-anywhere#sthash.oTpeLZCw.dpuf