the Feeding of the 7,647
We hear the Feeding of the 5,000 this week. What better time to give thanks for Zion's food pantry ministry! In June, you fed 747 people, with critical help from Food Rescue and a grant through River Bend Food Bank. Below is the pantry's 2025 annual report.
Zion’s food pantry is a 3-day emergency pantry. Our goal is to provide enough food and various household items that allow a household to feed themselves for three days. Households can visit the pantry every 4 weeks. We see some of our families on a regular basis, giving us an opportunity to build relationships with them. For others, we are a respite in a storm, and we may only see them once. Regardless of the number of times they visit, our goal remains the same; provide them with enough food to get through three days.
Our food pantry has had a busy and challenging year. We served 2,162 households this year. This is a 27% increase over last year. The need in our community is great. We were able to feed these households through Zion’s generosity, the many and various donations, and our dedicated team.
Beyond the blessing of being part of Zion’s budget, our Zion family has generously provided household items, hard to purchase items such as cereal, fresh produce during the growing season, and plastic grocery bags. We never know what we’ll find waiting for us on the bench outside the pantry. Our pantry families appreciate every one of these donations.
While our foundational food source is River Bend Food Bank where we purchase food, we have been fortunate to receive weekly food donations from Walmart, Kwik Star, Hy-Vee, and Starbucks. Added to this are donations of fresh vegetables during the growing season from community gardens as well as individual gardeners. Our families love this! We have also recently partnered with Midwest Food Bank, who bring non-perishable food items to the Quad Cities once a month. All these donations help us stretch our budget. They also require a team of people to either pick or receive, sort, and shelve.
Statistics for the year:
- Total households served: 2,162
- Individuals within these households: 7,647
- Cost of food purchased: $34,643
- Total pounds of food purchased: 34,593
- Approximate pounds of food received from donations: 18,100
Zion’s pantry would not run without the dedicated individuals who offer their time and caring for the people who visit the pantry, and those that help behind the scenes in so many ways. Thank you! Asante Sana!
Kris Tucker