MARINETTE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The St. Vincent de Paul food pantry in Marinette is seeing a record number of people looking for help putting food on the table. The economy, end of pandemic benefits and other factors are all playing a role in the demand.
Wednesdays are its food pantry days. The non-profit organization serves people in communities located in Marinette and Oconto Counties in Wisconsin as well as Menominee County, Mich.
“We have cars outside lined up, two rows deep, and about 130 to 145 people that we serve,” said Scott Kopish with St. Vincent de Paul.
At the halfway point of this year, pantry officials say they’ve distributed a record-breaking 275,000 pounds of food — that’s more than the 270,000 pounds distributed in all of last year.
It’s demand the pantry has never seen before.
“It increases every week,” said Kopish. “We get anywhere from 10 to 15 new people we’ve never seen before sign up every week, and it just gets added and added, so a lot of people. It just keeps accumulating.”
Dustin Hayes is new to the pantry. After they pay bills, he and his girlfriend don’t have money to buy food. That’s when the meat, dairy, dry goods and canned goods they get from the pantry helps to put food on the table.
“She technically doesn’t get paid much,” said Hayes. “She gets paid enough where she can pay the car payment and rent, and then we’re back to being broke. So, it helps.”
While Hayes is using the pantry services to help get on his feet, others are using it because their FoodShare, otherwise known as food stamps, benefits have been cut.
It’s a problem that Marinette County’s WIC office is seeing too. The office helps with food and nutrition information to help keep pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as infants and children, healthy and strong.
“During COVID, they had extra benefits through FoodShare. So, honestly, we did see a decrease in the need for WIC, but then as of March this year, those extra FoodShare benefits got cut off. So, then we definitely started seeing an increase in participation and need,” explained Marinette County WIC Coordinator Megan Mueller.
And with the increase in the cost of food, families whose benefits were cut are struggling to put food on the table.
“It doesn’t go as far when you only have so many FoodShare benefits or WIC is mostly container sizes, but fruits and veggies are a dollar amount, so you can only get so many fruits and veggies with $25,” said Mueller.
While the WIC office says it has the capacity to deal with the extra demand, St. Vincent de Paul says its resources are being spread thin. It has volunteers to help on pantry days, and food donations are good, but monetary ones go much further.
“All the money that is donated goes to the food pantry, and that’s how we’re able to get a lot more for the people,” said Kopish.
St. Vincent de Paul says that no matter how much increase in demand it sees, they will have something for everyone who needs it.
To support the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marinette Food Pantry’s mission, the organization is calling for donations. Contributions can be made online or by mailing a check or money order to PO Box 1111, Marinette, WI 54143.
Businesses are also encouraged to become food pantry sponsors. Community members are encouraged to support the food pantry by shopping at the associated thrift store.
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