At the Mesa County Fairgrounds parking lot on Orchard Mesa, a crew of 24 volunteers with Food Bank of the Rockies Western Slope have gathered to help set up pallets stacked with fresh produce, bags of cheese, walnuts and almonds, and other nutritious foods. It has been one year since the Food Bank launched its newest mobile pantry to help people facing food insecurity in this area of Grand Junction.
By 2:30 p.m. a line of cars has already begun to form — although the food distribution happens between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Virginia and her friend, Diana, both 78, are among those who arrived early; they want to ensure they’ll be able to return home before dark, they said. Their Social Security doesn’t cover expenses, and nothing they get here goes to waste, they both noted.
“I use everything; I’m a canner,” Woods said. “When the Mobile Pantry Program first started they gave me a huge bag of beets. I went home and canned pickled beets.”
Another client, 91-year-old Garaldine, drives nine miles each month from her home in Whitewater to collect her share of food at the mobile pantry. After paying her mortgage and utilities from the Social Security check and small pension she receives, there’s not much left over.
“I’m at an age where I can’t get a job,” so the mobile pantry is very important, she said.
While many people who came to the March distribution event were older adults on fixed incomes, families with children were also present. Part of the reason a mobile pantry was established here a year ago was thanks to an elementary teacher in the neighborhood who sought snacks for her students during the school day.
At the time, Food Bank of the Rockies Western Slope did not have a program that fit that need, but the request prompted an assessment of that area of town, said Christina Gumbiner, Food Bank of the Rockies Western Slope programs manager.
The Food Bank looked at ZIP codes versus Hunger Relief Partners in that area, and “found there were no Hunger Relief Partners on Orchard Mesa,” Gumbiner said. “If you didn’t have a car you were stuck. So, we started this mobile pantry with approximately 100 neighbors.”
Today, the mobile pantry on Orchard Mesa serves more than 200 households each month.
Jack Ranney, who has volunteered with Food Bank of the Rockies for a few years, is friendly with clients as he gives them food. “I hope you’re having a nice day,” he tells people coming through the line. Catherine Robertson said she’s been volunteering for the Food Bank for the past five years — she donated her time at the distribution center prior to the mobile pantry being established.
“People need to be able to eat,” she said. “Having access to nutritious food should be a human right. This is great, there’s lots of fresh produce.”
Others, like Deanne Nelson, were volunteering at the mobile pantry for the first time.
“I’m retired and I wanted to do something so I contacted the Food Bank,” she said. “It’s a good experience for anyone to do. I’m getting my steps in today, too,” she added, as she carried bags of food to people’s cars.
The distribution hours were set to be after school and when many people would be off from work, Gumbiner said, making it more accessible for folks to pick food up.
Linda, 76, and her daughter, Tera, 51, are currently living together and have come four times since learning about the mobile pantry.
“They give a lot of good food, and the people are very kind,” Linda said. “They don’t make you feel out of place because you’ve come here to get food. They’re so understanding. We go to the store to buy little things, and to keep the house clean.”
Gloria, 79, is on oxygen and a fixed income, and has been coming to the mobile pantry ever since she learned about it six months ago. Her car was one of the last to come through the line.
“I love it; it helps me a great deal,” she said. “I can’t afford to buy groceries.”
