“The goal is to be open for the emergencies and tornadoes when they happen. We are around to help people as they need it. Somebody calls up and says I need help; we try to respond.””

Donna Olkowski, Stanley-Boyd Area Food Pantry Director

Extra Foodshare benefits set to decrease

Beginning on March 1st, members will no longer receive the extra benefits but only the regular FoodShare benefits.  This decrease in funds will surely put pressure on local households who are already hit by higher costs from inflation. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the latest Consumer Price Index shows that cost for urban consumers has risen by 8.2% over the last year.  

Located in the basement of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, the Stanley-Boyd Area Food Pantry was established to help local residents fill in the gaps when finances get tight. Beginning in 2005, the food pantry has been lending a helping hand in the community for 18 years. An average of 51 families a month are helped, and with a little more than 2,000 lbs. of food each month leaving the food pantry, the need for community help is evident. That need will only become greater as extra food benefits from the Federal government will soon expire. During the Covid 19 epidemic, the Federal government began a program providing extra monthly benefits to FoodShare members. These benefits were separate from the regular monthly benefits but beginning on March 1^st, members will no longer receive the extra benefits but only the regular FoodShare benefits.  This decrease in funds will surely put pressure on local households who are already hit by higher costs from inflation. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the latest Consumer Price Index shows that cost for urban consumers has risen by 8.2% over the last year.  

 The Stanley-Boyd Area Food Pantry sees community support for the food pantry in many ways. Much of the food is purchased through Feed My People Food Bank but many donations also come in from the area community. The Stanley-Boyd Area Food Pantry is grateful for any donations and while large donations are a big help, it’s the little donations that keep it functioning. Hansen’s IGA donates bread, the Stanley Community Association collects food and toiletry donations at the monthly Bingo Games, and the local Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts collect donations as well.  The Stanley Police Department is a large supporter with their Help Handcuff Hunger Food Drive and this year delivered 400 pounds of food and 1,851 pounds of hygiene/ cleaning products and toiletries.  

The Stanley-Boyd Area Food Pantry needs volunteers to deliver and distribute the food as well and since it is volunteer based, no help is turned away. “Come when you can,” says Donna Olkowski, current director of the food pantry.  During the school year, the food distribution volunteers are from the National Honor Society at the Stanley Boyd High School and students from Open Doors Academy help unload the food delivered from Feed My People food trucks. Donna Olkowski currently oversees the food pantry and has lived in the Stanley area for 9 years after moving from West Allis, Wisconsin.  “I find the biggest challenge is not knowing how much to prepare for. That to me is the biggest challenge,” Olkowski explains on the challenges facing the food pantry. Olkowski elaborates, “The goal is to be open for the emergencies and tornadoes when they happen. We are around to help people as they need it. Somebody calls up and says I need help; we try to respond.” Food pantry volunteers also make home deliveries to area seniors and handicapped residents who are unable to collect it themselves.    

Food distribution at the Stanley-Boyd Area Food Pantry is the first Thursday of the month between 4 pm and 6pm. During the winter months, it is drive up distribution but beginning in April, food distribution will switch to in house distribution.  Anyone who arrives for help is required to fill out a form with their name, the number of people in the family, their address, waiver, and proof of residency in the Stanley Boyd school district. The Stanley-Boyd Area Food Pantry specifically works with residents in need in the Stanley Boyd school district. Anyone coming in to get food for the first time, who is not registered in the Stanley Boyd school district, will get help one time but will then be directed to a food pantry nearer to their residence. “I think paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, etc.)  seems to be a need that we can’t fill,” Olkowski answers when asked what items they see the biggest need for.  Anyone who wishes to donate time or nutritional assistance to the Stanley-Boyd Area Food Pantry can contact Donna Olkowski at 715-644-0644.  You can also follow the food pantry on their Facebook page at Stanley-Boyd Area Food Pantry.    

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