Demand for services from the Grace Welcome Center pantry has skyrocketed over the last five weeks, according to the Rev. Jonathon Barker of Grace Lutheran Church.
The pantry saw an average of 167 families each week for the past five weeks, a 23% increase from the average number of families coming to the pantry every week in 2021, Barker and pantry director Diane Russell said. Barker said the increase in families is likely due to recent inflation and the subsequent rise in gas and food prices, as well as cutbacks in FoodShare, Wisconsin’s food stamps program.
“Within that 167 families, that’s about 550 adults and kids coming in every week,” Russell said.
This is not the first time the pantry has seen an uptick of guests. Russell said when the pantry first opened in June 2019, they were only expecting around 25-30 families to use it each week. However, this number quickly rose to 40-50, and Russell said the COVID-19 pandemic produced the first significant rise in families using the pantry in 2020.
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Barker and Russell said they will not turn anyone away hungry, but that can mean giving less food to each person that comes in. Their hope is that the food they supply to families is supplemental to what families already have, rather than being their only source of food. However, Barker said some pantry users have told him Grace Welcome Center makes the difference between their eating and not eating.
“It’s humbling seeing what [the pantry] means for guests,” Barker said. “We have to keep this place open.”
The Grace Welcome Center has been open nearly every day since it started three years ago. Russell said she, Barker and volunteers have kept the pantry open through all kinds of weather conditions and throughout the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I feel that it’s our responsibility to feed people every week,” Russell said.
With increasing demand at Grace Welcome Center, Barker and Russell said any donations help. The pantry accepts non-perishable food items and is open for donation drop-offs Monday through Friday with varying hours, which are available on their website. The pantry also accepts monetary donations by check or online.
For those who want to help but do not have the resources to donate, Russell said they are always looking for more volunteers. Spreading word about the pantry to friends, family and neighbors is very important as well, she said.
Barker and Russell said Kenosha residents have been extremely generous and helpful to the pantry since it opened.
“We have a wonderful community in Kenosha behind us,” Barker said.
The food pantry is open to guests on Tuesdays from 4-5:30 pm with both walk-up and drive-up options, and their breakfast program runs on Thursdays and Fridays from 8-9:15 am
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