Its service area is the Montezuma school district and other smaller surrounding towns in Poweshiek County. Those outside of the service area but within the state of Iowa can still utilize the pantry but will receive a premade box of TEFAP (government issued) food and not shop from the shelves. The pantry is a 501c3 with the IRS and is funded by charitable giving and community donations. For every
$10 donated to us, we can provide 35 meals by being a member agency of the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. Approximately 75% of pantry food is obtained/purchased through our food bank and may be nearing expiration or past expiration but perfectly fine for consumption according to food safety guidelines we follow. We serve over 300 unique households with 1/3 of those being a one-person household, 1/3 having children in the home and only 1/3 receiving SNAP benefits (food stamps). We have over 25 volunteers that allow us to be open four days a week at various hours to meet clients' schedules. Clients are required to fill out paperwork with self-verification of income qualification annually beginning each July and are requested not required to show current state issued identification upon usage of the pantry each time. Clients within the service area may obtain produce and bakery at any given time, not just when shopping for monthly groceries. Our board is very appreciative to all those that support the pantry--because of you we can be impactful in our community at large! This institution is an equal opportunity provider. To view the Nondiscrimination Statement or a complaint (NDS): https://hhs.iowa.gov/food-assistance/emergency-food or https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf
