Food assistance arrives at Charles City High School

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

About 180 households were served with food in Charles City on Wednesday.

Trucks from the Northeast Iowa Food Bank  in Waterloo were at the Charles City High School parking lot from noon to 1 p.m., distributing boxes of food to those who needed it.

People were asked to bring a photo ID, pull in at the end of the line and have their vehicle’s trunk or rear door open and cleaned out. Food boxes were placed by people from the food bank as well as local volunteers, who also directed traffic.

Volunteers included National Guard members and 10 members of the high school FFA chapter. FFA Secretary Lauren Connell, a senior, contacted the food bank and got her fellow students lined up for duty. They were given the OK by the school district, provided they practiced all the necessary protective COVID-19 protocols.

Residents who were not able to get to the high school parking lot and need food delivered should call Pastor Debbie Lincoln at 641-257-1119. Lincoln runs the Messiah Food Pantry in Charles City, which is currently closed because of coronavirus concerns.

Income guidelines to qualify for food assistance are gross monthly income of $1,666 for a one-person household; $2,256 for two persons; $2,845 for three persons; $3,434 for four persons; $4,024 for five persons; $4,613 for six persons; $5,202 for seven persons; $5,792 for eight persons; and $591 for each additional person in the household.

Two Northeast Iowa Food Bank trucks stopped in Charles City on April 8 and distributed about 5,400 meals for 116 households, said Bryan Helleso, marketing manager for the Food Bank of Northeast Iowa. At that distribution people received boxes of non-perishable goods as well as frozen meat, fish sticks and vegetables.

For help with an application for food assistance, call 855-944-FOOD (3663), email FoodAssistanceOutreach@iowafba.org, or apply online at www.oasis.iowa.gov.