IUMF Hunger Grant 2021 | Iowa United Methodist Foundation

March 12, 2021

Congratulations to the nine awarded applicants who received funds from the 2021 IUMF Hunger Grant! This grant was made possible because of our generous partners, including the Board of Directors and those who have supported the Friends of the Foundation fund. A big THANK YOU to these organizations who are making their communities a better place and who are doing as Jesus said by feeding the hungry:

East Jasper Christian Food Pantry

Before the pandemic, they served an average of 35 families per month, totaling 75-80 clients. Since March, they have opened their doors to anyone with food needs. Their goal is to take the stress off families who worry about where their next meal will come from. Their funds will be used to cover cost of groceries.

Tuesday Together Meals – Chariton First United Methodist Church

This program offers weekly free meals on Tuesdays to individuals and families of Lucas County who are experiencing food insecurity. This county has a diverse population so they are sure to disperse flyers in English, Russian and Spanish to increase awareness of their program. Due to COVID, they provide “to go” meals only, with a maximum of 125 hot meals and additional cold meal bags as needed. Funds will be used to purchase food not available from Food Bank of Iowa.

Backpack Ministry – Embury United Methodist Church

This program started back in 2012 when an individual was trying to think of ways to help others in the community. Now it is 2021 and they are filling 15 backpacks a week, which is feeding 60 children and their families. This program is run on donations from churches and individuals within the community.

Olin Food Pantry – Olin United Methodist Church

This food pantry serves the towns of Olin and Morley. It is run by volunteers who open it up on the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesday of the month. Olin does not have a local grocery store, only a convenience store, so healthy and fresh food items are limited. The closest grocery store would be about a 20-minute drive. The funds provided would be used to buy items such as milk, eggs, fruits, vegetables and proteins that are kept in appropriate environments to keep them fresh.

Monthly Manna Meal – Union Park United Methodist Church

Prior to the pandemic, they were feeding 50-60 people a meal. They were mostly funded by the women’s group who held several rummage sales each year prior to the pandemic, but now need other sources of money. Their numbers have continued to grow; they have now switched to a drive-up meal, which serves up to 318 people. Due to short funding, they had to decrease the amount of times they serve a month down to one. They also work with Hy-Vee to get donated foods for a small food pantry. Funds will be used to purchase food.

Carry On Bags – Fairfield First United Methodist Church

This program provides the 50% of students who are on free or reduced priced meals with bags of food. They provide to preschool through 12^th grade for the weekends and during school breaks. These consist of snacks and simple meals that allow them to carry on without school supplied meals. During the 2019/2020 school year, this program has packed as many as 300 bags a week. Funds will be used to purchase items within the bags.

SonShine Food Pantry & Clothing Closet – Rustin Avenue United Methodist Church

Sonshine is a food distribution site as well as a place that provides vegetable plants and seeds in the spring and fresh garden produce as it becomes available in the summer and fall. They have a clothing closet for all ages, which includes clothing, bedding and some household supplies. Funds will be used to purchase additional food for distribution.

Monday Funday – Denison First United Methodist Church

The church created this program for all elementary aged students in Denison school district. They meet once a month during the school year on third Monday of the month. This program provides a healthy, safe, fun and educational opportunity for all students. Prior to the pandemic, they had about 106 students registered. They have various learning centers for students along with a snack. Because of the early accomplishments of this program, they are now implementing the same program for middle school aged students.

Feed the Hungry – Vinton, Wesley United Methodist Church

This food pantry has been active for 6 years; they serve all ages in their area. All funds they receive are spent on food. They have set up food cupboards in the middle and high schools in Vinton, for any student who is need of food or hygiene items. They also have a garden on property that they grow vegetables to provide fresh produce to those who come to their distribution the third Saturday of each month. Just recently, their refrigerator went out so the funds will be used for food and replacement of refrigerator.