"Mobile food pantry" could be coming to Decorah

The Northeast Iowa Food Bank is looking into the possibility of starting a "mobile food pantry" in Decorah.

The Northeast Iowa Food Bank currently supplies the Decorah Food Pantry at First Lutheran Church.  But the First Lutheran Food Pantry lately has been serving up to 50 people a day.

Northeast Iowa Food Bank Director of Programs Karen Erickson says, "The Decorah Food Pantry is doing a fabulous job, but they also know that they cannot sustain these numbers with the resources they have."

Erickson has been in contact with the Decorah Rotary Club about staffing a mobile food pantry, but she also says "ideally" the best host would be another Decorah church that could provide the space for the mobile food pantry.

Northeast Iowa Food Bank would cover all the costs and would pack one of its trucks with food in Waterloo and drive it to Decorah for the mobile food pantry once a month.

Erickson says a host organization would need to provide 10 to 15 volunteers and a site coordinator.  The mobile food pantry runs for three or four hours, with set-up and tear down.

More information about the mobile food pantry can be obtained by contacting Northeast Iowa Food Bank at (319) 235-0507.