About the Pantry
How it started
When Kids Against Hunger United packs and ships its special meals across the globe to fight hunger, it’s a good feeling. And while sometimes they’ll get a picture of the people who receive the food, most times they don’t directly get to see the faces of people whose lives they touched.
Hunger Here at Home
Sadly, most people don’t comprehend just how much hunger and food insecurity there is throughout the United States. But once you see it, it can be heart wrenching knowing neighbors in your own community are going hungry, that parents are struggling to put food on the tables for their kids.
Hope is Just Around the Corner
Kids Against Hunger United saw the need in their community. In 2022, after learning that a local food pantry locals depended on had closed, KAH United began planning on starting its own food pantry. In October that year, they officially announced their plan to open its community food pantry on Martin Luther King day, 2023. Even before opening its doors, KAH United began making a difference in the community. On Thanksgiving, volunteers joined Heather Griesser LaPierre to donate a Turkey meal, plus food for the entire weekend, to over 40 needy families!
Launch Date
True to its word, Kids Against Hunger United opened its Food Pantry doors on Martin Luther King Day 2023, and they have been distributing food to families in need, consistently twice a month ever since. “It’s a great feeling knowing we’re positively impacting people who are our neighbors,” explains Heather. “It’s great to actually see the smiles on the faces of people benefiting from our work.” All the food in the pantry is gathered from community donations and drives, and Heather is thankful for continued support and help.
Values of the Pantry
The KAH United Food Pantry’s values are in alignment with the mission and values of KAH United as a whole. They want to be a reliable resource for food for those in need in the neighborhood. All are welcome who need assistance, there is no judgement whatsoever. For some, being hungry, or suffering from food insecurity can feel shameful, or embarrassing. The KAH United Food Pantry works hard to protect the privacy of the families they serve, and to extend a hand to help them overcome their food insecurity or hunger.
For Those Looking to Help with the Pantry, or Those Seeking Help From the Pantry:
The food pantry is not only a resources for families looking for a consistent source of supplemental food and toiletries, but an outlet for volunteers looking to help by donating time, food, or funds to the community.
General Procedures
The KAH United Food Pantry strives to help families to pick up needed food twice per month. It relies on community members to donate food and/or funds to keep this resource going. Typically, volunteers sort donations by type of food and expiration date and stock the shelves with the donated food.
First, families in need register with the pantry and then select what they are in need of for the twice a month distributions. Each family is given a number so their names don’t appear on anything that is public. Volunteers shop from these individual lists to create personalized groceries for each family. Then familes pick up the food on designated day of distribution.
To REGISTER for food from the Food Pantry, CLICK HERE.
For Those Looking to Donate Food
If you want to contribute to this great local resource, you can drop off food at any of the drop off bins in the three KAH United food drop locations. They ask that you please don’t drop off expired food. The food is picked up daily by the Pantry Team and Volunteers.
ORGANIZING DRIVES
A huge help in their quest to conquer local hunger and keep the Food Pantry going is food drives. Individuals or groups can organize a drive and schedule a time for it to be dropped off at the KAH warehouse.
At KAH United, we’ll try to help you by providing promotional and advertising materials.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR FOOD DRIVE TOOLKIT.
KAH United can also share the details of your food drive on its social media platforms.
If you’d like to arrange a time to sort the food you donate, you can do that too! Please contact: foodpantry@kahunited.org.
ORGANIZING DONATIONS OR SHOPPING FOR FOOD
The Kids Against Hunger United Food Pantry TeamKAH United hosts times each week for food to be organized in the facility. They also organize occasional shopping to supplement donations to the Food Pantry.
If you would like to join the Food Pantry Volunteer Team, please send an email to let KAH United know you are available to volunteer: foodpantry@kahunited.org
The KAH United Food Pantry Team is a small, but mighty group who work hard to help combat food insecurity among our neighbors in need. The great benefits of the Food Pantry, and its ongoing success, is in large part due to the Food Pantry Team. This is a core group of volunteers who work every week to plan for all food pantry needs. They work hard to ensure that the food is ready to be distributed, and they are the faces that families see every time they come to pick food up. “It’s important that these vulnerable families feel comfortable using our Food Pantry,” explains Heather. “It’s comforting for them to see familiar faces all the times!”