In a sign of the times, food supply depleted at Stratton Mobile Pantry

Hitchcock County High School students volunteer Saturday morning in Stratton for a “modified” Mobile Pantry coordinated by JoLyn Hare, right, and Barb Ostrum. The Food Bank of the Heartland truck from Omaha delivered enough pre-boxed canned goods, bagged fruits and vegetables and bread for 144 households, and students took the goods directly to shoppers’ cars, rather than shoppers selecting foods themselves. This process eliminated unnecessary contact and the need for them to get out of their vehicles. Unfortunately, coordinators had to turn away about 50 cars when the food ran out. The next Mobile Pantry from Omaha will be April 25, 9-11 a.m., in the Community Building on the Hitchcock County Fairgrounds in Culbertson.

STRATTON, Neb. — The need is obvious. Coordinators of the latest Mobile Pantry event, this one in Stratton Saturday morning, ran out of food.

Not many local Mobile events since the first one in Culbertson in August 2015 have completely run out of food.

Concerns of being quarantined at home because of the coronavirus scares had shoppers out in hordes — in their cars and pickups — Saturday, and volunteers distributed all of the 144 pre-packaged boxes of food delivered from the Food Bank of the Heartland headquarters in Omaha.

About 50 cars had to be turned away.

In a modified process, shoppers pulled up to the give-away and volunteers from Hitchcock County High School placed the boxes, pre-bagged fruits and vegetables and bread in their cars and pickups. This eliminated unnecessary contact for both the volunteers and shoppers, and eliminated shoppers from having to get out of their vehicles to carry foods.

In the past, any food leftover after a local Mobile Pantry has been shared with community Pantrys or senior centers.

The next Mobile Pantry from Omaha will be April 25, 9-11 a.m., in the Community Building on the Hitchcock County Fairgrounds in Culbertson. Coordinators don’t know now if it will also be conducted with “contactless” delivery.

There are no income guidelines to participate in a Mobile Pantry. The only restriction is that shoppers must live in Nebraska.

In response to the coronavirus situation, the Food Bank has purchased $200,000 in emergency food and is arranging drive-up mobile pantries.

The Food Bank partners with 600 organizations in 93 counties in Nebraska and western Iowa. To find a nearby food pantry, visit: https://foodbankheartland.org/covid-19/

The goals of the Food Bank’s state-wide Mobile Pantry program are to provide food where there is a high need but limited resources, and to help local Pantries help families in need.

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Since the food ran out Saturday, JoLyn directs people still needing food to go to the Hitchcock County Pantry, located in the alley behind the Culbertson city office in downtown Culbertson.

The process there has changed as well, according to coordinator JoLyn Hare. “At this time, there is no customer choice, and we are not allowing patrons inside the buildings,” she said.

Patrons are asked to come to the door and knock, loudly. Pantry staff will bring out what little paperwork is required and load a pre-packaged box of food.

Pantry hours are:

Every Monday — 9-11 a.m.

The second and fourth Wednesday — 3:30-5 p.m.

The first and third Friday — 3:30-5 p.m.