Food pantries, generous donors work together to meet growing demand

The pressure on food pantries in northeast Nebraska to keep up with skyrocketing demand continues to increase, but so, too, does the response of generous donors.

“We get calls every day asking, ‘What are your needs this week? What are you short of in the food pantry?’ It’s just amazing,” said Lucy Lutjelusche, director of Simon House in Columbus.

Simon House serves people in need with a food pantry, thrift store and chapel. It is a joint venture of the St. Vincent de Paul Society conferences at the city’s three Catholic parishes: St. Isidore, St. Bonaventure and St. Anthony.

The organization held a mobile food drive in Columbus on Saturday in partnership with the Food Bank for the Heartland. More than 360 families showed up, but at least 50 others were turned away when the food ran out.

“It just broke my heart,” Lutjelusche said.

At the same time, she felt incredibly blessed by how many stepped up to donate to the food drive, particularly when she put out a call to local churches, individuals and businesses for donations to purchase turkeys and hams.

Lutjelusche said donations are up at Simon House, including from individuals and families who are themselves struggling to make ends meet.

“They may not have money in their pocket to go buy food, but they have food in their cabinets that they’re willing to go through and part with,” she said.

While Simon House always has a high number of families struggling with food insecurity, Lutjelusche said the government shutdown and rising property taxes, which have led to higher rents, have added more pressure.

Simon House food pantry. COURTESY PHOTO

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Omaha said on its website that as of Tuesday, Nov. 4, its downtown food pantry served 177 families in a single morning – a record for the society and a 35% increase over this time last year.

Jill Lynch-Sosa, executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, said requests for rent and utility assistance are growing alongside those for food, and she doesn’t expect them to slow anytime soon, even as the government reopens.

While she is grateful for the many people and organizations donating food, “which is always important,” the society’s food pantry is suffering from inconsistency in donations because of the current high demand. For example, larger grocery stores that would usually supply the pantry with perishable goods are distributing food differently in light of increased donation requests.

Baked goods that typically would have come to the pantry directly from the store within a day or two are now being donated to larger drives or food banks. The extra time needed to sort and redistribute the items before they reach the society’s pantry can cause food to go beyond its shelf life, Lynch-Sosa said.

Catholic Charities of Omaha is also experiencing an uptick in demand at its food pantries, said Dave Vankat, the organization’s chief community engagement officer.

“It’s been a big few weeks at Catholic Charities’ food pantries,” Vankat said. “In just the past three weeks, Catholic Charities has served more than 10,000 people and distributed over 126,000 pounds of food.”

Like Lutjelusche and Lynch-Sosa, he appreciates donors stepping up.

“We are so grateful for the incredible community response that’s allowed us to keep our shelves stocked and continue meeting the need,” Vankat said.

While it would be easy to get discouraged when so many are suffering and in crisis, Lutjelusche said faith and prayers are what keep her and the people Simon House serves positive.

“We sit down with each family or individual and let them know that we care and we pray that things are going to get better,” she said.

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