The Lord’s Cupboard has busiest February on record

As a result of the government shutdown earlier this year, low-income households in Jefferson County have had to go more than 40 days without SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps).

As a result, The Lord's Cupboard has been serving more Emergency Food Pantry clients than in any other February since its inception 36 years ago.

'We are on track to serve more than double the number of clients we would typically serve in February,” says Executive Director Laura Cohen. 'These last few weeks, we've been distributing 30 to 40 food orders a day; that's unheard of for this month.”

One glance at the food pantry's shelves reveals how hard they continue to be hit. The canned beans which were piled high after the holidays are completely gone, and it has been very difficult to keep all items stocked to an adequate level. The Lord's Cupboard is asking the Jefferson County community for donations of non-perishable foods, especially canned beans, canned meats, canned vegetables, breakfast cereals, and bags or boxes of pasta (please no ramen noodles).

The Lord's Cupboard of Jefferson County is the Emergency Food Pantry for Jefferson County, Iowa. Donations of food or cash are accepted from 1-4 p.m. Monday through Friday at The Lord's Cupboard, 303 N. Fourth St. in Fairfield. For more information or for a tour of The Lord's Cupboard, contact Cohen at LordsCupboard@LISCO.com, or at 472-8457.

The mission statement and goal for the Lord's Cupboard of Jefferson County, Iowa is to help fight hunger by supplying emergency food assistance to those in need.