Messiah’s Food Pantry receives over 400 pounds of venison

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

Joel Farnham donates his time at Messiah’s Food Pantry to make a difference.

So it’s understandable that the retired military veteran who supervises the pantry in Charles City for two days a week knows what it means to give back.

Farnham was excited to receive 420 pounds of ground venison on Tuesday afternoon to fill freezers at the food bank run by the Rev. Deb Lincoln, pastor at Jordan River Church.

“Times have been hard. We depend on donations – food and monetary donations,” said Farnham.

More than 200, two-pound rolls of ground deer meat were donated by an anonymous source from the area.

“This will go strictly to customers here that are eligible to shop,” said Farnham. “Each household that meets the requirements is eligible to shop once every 30 days for food off the shelves and the meat.”

Farnham said those who are signed up to receive the assistance are usually told to pick out three different meat items like chicken, pork or beef.

Whether it’s canned goods, bread from Hy-Vee, grocery items from Fareway or pizza from Pizza Hut that is donated to Messiah, it all helps provide meals to people who need them.

“The people of Charles City have been beyond generous. They truly have,” said Farnham. “Whether they’re bringing in a can or a truckload or a couple of dollars or hundreds of dollars – I’ve received all of that in the past. It makes my heart swell and my eyes well at their generosity.”

It didn’t take long for Farnham and Messiah volunteer Lenny Fuller to hop in a van and haul back the venison once they heard of the donation offer.

Fuller tries to help out around town as much as he can, he said. The joy he receives from making a person’s day by hauling food out to their vehicle and giving someone something to smile about is well worth it.

“They bring you into their hearts,” said Fuller. “We have such a divided society. There’s rich people, there’s poor people, there’s people that are homeless. But when it comes to this, it doesn’t matter who you are. We’re all in it together to help people in need.”

Farnham said the pantry has handed out hams during the holiday season some years. Some years they give out coupons so customers can cut down on bills.

Sometimes they give back to Farnham.

“One thing that has really humbled me about working here is people bring me food. Sometimes it will be cookies or muffins. Sometimes it will be entire meals – homemade tamales or meatloaf, potatoes and vegetables,” Farnham said.

Farnham smiled because he knew Tuesday was a prime example of what giving can do to somebody who needs lifted up or that little extra help provided to get them back on their feet.

“I’ve been here, I’ve been there. I have run into people from literally every walk of life. I have never met anybody that didn’t at some point need help – whether it was mentally, whether it was financially. They needed a little moral support,” said Farnham.

Messiah’s Food Pantry is open noon to 3 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m. to noon Wednesdays and noon to 3 p.m. Fridays. It is located at 102 N. Main in Charles City.