On a recent morning my daughter reminded me that this is summer and she doesn’t do math. Objecting by reflex, I thought of fractions in 4-H project recipes and adding skills involved in fundraising for sports. However, now that I think about it she may have a point.
Preparing to carry out boxes of commodities July 12 during the second evening (food, clothing, etc.) pantry of 2023 at Alliance’s Masonic Center hall, I considered the number of donations, volunteers and hours of preparation necessary as people came through the door. How about the potential to help if we gave everything away? My mental figuring soon faded as I chatted with another volunteer and we began to take turns toting our loads behind already laden men, women and teens. I simply helped by bringing one box of food for one family or individual at a time. No math necessary, just an opportunity to intersect briefly in somebody else’s life.
The event is under the umbrella of Community Table (CT), a not-for-profit that provides a free meal to anyone who walks through the door Monday through Thursday nearly every week (they take Heritage Days off for example). United Way (UW) of Western Nebraska coordinated clothing distribution during the July pantry. Karen Benzel, UW executive director, said, “We served 57 households Wednesday (July 12) evening comprising 145 individuals. The following ages comprised the 145 people: 6 aged 0-5, 42 aged 6-18, 79 aged 19-64 and 18 aged 65+. Great work by all involved and thank you for all your help with the clothing as it was a BIG undertaking though we walked away with a ton of happy people!”
Karen is also on the CT board, which I joined this past year. She explained that Community Table is supported financially by United Way of Western Nebraska and is a United Way partner agency. In addition to new clothes donated by Walmart this summer, UW provided $50 Safeway gift cards during the initial evening pantry food distribution this past March. A range of individuals outside the CT board itself volunteered at both events. One woman even donated and distributed dozens of farm fresh chicken and duck eggs at the July pantry.
Not-for-profit boards rely on what members bring to the table. Nancy Reiber asked if I would be interested. The decision required little thought. Soon, my connection was a link to Keep Alliance Beautiful. KAB Executive Director Kathy Worley and I meet Monday through Thursday mornings to gather food donations. The process typically takes half an hour or less. The items are given away during lunch at the Masonic Center. A portion of what we collect goes to the Senior Center some days. One time we split up a half-pickup load of buns and bread. If there are leftovers I help find a home for them. KAB also collects recycling from the community table. They have had a bin out back for some time. Recently, we brought a curbside container over to encourage patrons and staff to recycle aluminum cans and plastic cups and bottles.
Loading food into a pickup that normally carries cardboard and bags of recyclables seems contrary to our usual mission. However, the donations that arrive at the Community Table would otherwise be thrown away. KAB’s assistance is part of an initial step in reducing Alliance retail food waste. There is plenty to go around as we look for better ways of keeping food out of the landfill and available for anyone who is hungry.