Jason Arndt, jarndt@shawanoleader.com
Bonduel School District families in need of food will have access to a pantry in their neighborhood beginning Wednesday.
St. Paul Lutheran Church, 240 E. Green Bay St., is hosting the Bonduel Community Food Pantry, which will be open from 4-7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of every month.
Residents looking for assistance will need to fill out an application indicating income and household size.
The pantry uses the same income limits as the United States Department of Agriculture’s school meal program. To receive services, a household of four cannot earn more than $23,850 annually. The maximum annual income for a three-person household is $19,790.
Barb Wickman said the committee organizing the food pantry formed in April. She said some residents were using pantries outside the Bonduel community.
“We know people who go to Cecil and Shawano food pantries, so we are trying to centralize it for better access,” Wickman said.
Wickman said committee members contacted John Hill, of Feeding America/Shawano Area Food Center, for his advice as they prepared to open the pantry.
“We have been working with him on a consulting basis, and are working with Feeding America on this,” Wickman said.
The church ran a similar program for 18 months starting in 2010.
“We ran it for a year and a half to two years, but after that we did not have a person willing to continue it,” said Gerry Schmidt, chairperson of the Bonduel Community Food Pantry, and a teacher of St. Paul Lutheran.
Schmidt said the new pantry will be different than the first attempt.
“There was not a significant effort to get dollars from the community (in 2010). Now the Bonduel community asked if we could start it,” Schmidt said. “It is something the community needs.”
St. Paul Lutheran donated a room in the church to store items for the pantry.
Although the pantry will be open once a month, it also will be able to respond to emergencies.
“This is a community pantry, and if someone needs anything, they can call the (St. Paul) office,” Wickman said.
Wickman is also working to get information about the pantry to surrounding municipalities, including the towns of Washington, Hartland and Navarino.
A list of recommended food items is available from the church for anyone willing to donate.
Residents can also contribute by donating cash, with checks made payable to Bonduel Community Food Pantry, addressed to St. Paul Lutheran.