Mobile Food Pantry critical for residents

    HARLAN -- The Harlan Lions Club donated enough food for 200 families during its latest mobile food drive, a key to the continued efforts to tackle food insecurities in Shelby County, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    Lion’s Club Representative Sharon Hoffnagle said it was another successful event on February 22.  A mobile food pantry is a traveling event that delivers food directly to families in need for a one-day distribution.
    The goal is to provide food where there is a high need but limited resources, and the Harlan Lions Club has coordinated the event locally for years.
    “The Lions Club is always looking for ways to serve their communities,” Hoffnagle said.  “The food pantry is a way the Lions Club can help to bring additional food to families in need.”
    Hoffnagle explained that the Lions Club began the project about 10 years ago in Shelby County.  The first food pantry was held at the Immanuel Lutheran Church, but then moved to Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Harlan to allow for some protection from the weather for continued pantries.
    Most recently, the Lions Club has been working with FoodBank of the Heartland.
    “Especially during the COVID crisis, they have really picked up the ball and helped us to continue serving our community with the mobile drive-through pantries,” Hoffnagle explained.
    “Our last pantry brought more community members than we anticipated.  Cars arrived from not only Shelby County, but Harrison, Pottawattamie, Crawford and Audubon Counties.”
    Hoffnagle said they were unable to give everyone all they needed, but were able to give all something.   Participants received a box of canned goods, pasta and rice; bag of apples, oranges, potatoes and onions; package of chicken; and a loaf of bread.
    Community support has been huge, with many volunteers.
    “We generally always have plenty of help, including many children, which is a fantastic experience for them to learn about care and compassion for the community,” Hoffnagle said.
    The next mobile food pantry in Harlan sponsored by the Lions Club is scheduled for April 26.