June 19, 2020 at 7:36 a.m.
Rhinelander Area Food Pantry hosts multiple food giveaway events
Rhinelander Area Food Pantry hosts multiple food giveaway events
By Stephanie Kuski-
All individuals, regardless of income, were invited to visit the pantry to receive a free box of food, which included multiple items of fresh produce in addition to a selection of dairy and meat products. The funds for the giveaways were provided through Feeding America.
In addition, the giveaways were not counted as a visit to the pantry and no personal information was recorded. Many families picked up multiple boxes for neighbors or loved ones, pantry officials said.
Countless cars were lined up hours before the giveaway was set to take place, since the event was set to conclude when the 800-box shipment was gone.
During the first week, the free box of food featured a big bag of diced cooked chicken, cheese, yogurt, apples, oranges, pears, potatoes and carrots.
The line traversed the length of Coon Street all the way down to Home Depot.
All boxes were distributed by 1 p.m., officials noted.
The second week, yellow onions, potatoes, carrots, oranges, apples, pears, lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, celery, greek yogurt and cheese were included in the boxes of food.
Once again, cars were lined up well in advance, and this time the line stretched the length of Newell Street and at times went as far as Highway 17. But the second time around, volunteers said they were able to keep the line moving more quickly as their loading system improved greatly from the first week.
That system included no-contact pickup for customers, in which volunteers loaded their cars with the boxes of food. Volunteers wore masks and practiced social distancing to curb the potential spread of COVID-19.
"It went well," RAFP General Manager Jane Motowski said of the event's first week. "The boxes all came pre-packaged, taped up and ready to go out, so all we had to do was put them in the vehicles. So it went pretty fast once we got into the groove."
"It's great that it goes to anybody, because we have a lot of people who aren't regular customers here," RAFP Executive Director Guy Hansen said during the second giveaway.
The inspiration for the giveaway, Motowski explained, was to assist individuals who might need extra help, since the pandemic has forced many out of work.
"If you can cut back a little on your grocery bill, then you can have a little money to spend on the other things you need, like bills you need to pay," Motowski commented.
She added that the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) recently raised the income eligibility level for members of a food pantry. Previously, one's income had to be at or below 185% of the poverty level to qualify, but that number has increased to 300% for at least the time being, which means more people will be eligible to utilize RAFP's services in the coming months.
But despite what one might assume, Motowski and Hansen both mentioned the RAFP has not seen an increased number of clients seeking their services throughout the pandemic. However, those numbers may be on the rise.
"It's starting to go up again," Motowski said, "and I think it's because now the extra food stamps are ending, they've all gotten their stimulus money and it's probably all gone."
"We have not seen a huge increase in clients," Hansen echoed. "Part of that might be because they can't come through anymore."
Because the RAFP is still closed to the public due to virus-related concerns, volunteers have been pre-packaging boxes for clients to take home in a similar no-contact system throughout the pandemic.
In this way, Hansen said he's witnessed tremendous support from the community in the past few months especially.
"In the community, the people and the businesses have been generous as far as helping out financially," Hansen said. "So we've been doing well."
"We got a $10,000 grant from Marshfield Clinic Health System specifically for COVID-19," he added. "$1,000 can be used for PPE and the rest of it is for food."
Although COVID-19 has altered how community nonprofits like the RAFP go about their day-to-day operations, their strong volunteer base has not wavered. During the food giveaway events, dozens of volunteers helped load heavy boxes of food into the trunks of vehicles.
One such volunteer was Ginger Chrobak, who helped direct traffic. A longtime volunteer with the RAFP, Chrobak spoke highly of the various programs the pantry has been able to implement over the years with the support of the community.
"We have close to 500 volunteers," Chrobak said. "Having so many volunteers makes such a big difference... That really is why this food pantry can do so many things, because of the volunteers."
Since the RAFP opened in 2005, Chrobak said they have been able to expand their programs extensively.
"We work with nutritionists for our Weekend Food For Kids programs to make sure we send nutritious food home for about 200 children every weekend, and that's through the school," she explained. "We're going to continue it through the summer."
When the pantry expanded to its current location on Coon Street in 2014, Chrobak said it was able to offer even more selection to their members, especially healthy food options. She said the pantry offers recipes and samples to clients who perhaps don't know what a certain food item is or how to use it in a dish.
In addition, the Rhinelander Area Community Garden is part of the RAFP, which works in cooperation with the Master Gardeners of the North to provide roughly 5,000 lbs of fresh, locally grown produce to pantry members every year. The community garden also raises plant starters which are given to members to grow their own vegetables, like peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes.
"We gave out in past years about 1,500 plants for people to plant themselves," Chrobak said. "Tomatoes and green peppers are the most popular and people look forward to them. They grow some you can keep in a container, some you can put in the ground."
This way, RAFP members are given the opportunity to exploit these fresh food options in a sustainable way.
In the wake of COVID-19, a renewed interest in at-home gardening has many of these plant starters flying off the shelves.
Although the RAFP remains closed to the public, it is still offering weekly distribution during the regular times: Mondays from 3-6 p.m., Wednesdays from 4-7 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
At this time, there will be no contact between volunteers filling the order and customer(s) receiving them. Donation drop-off hours are from 9 a.m. to noon Monday-Friday.
For more information about the RAFP, visit their website or call (715) 369-7237.
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