Local food bank receives more than 40,000 pounds of food

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) - The Family Crisis Center in Rexburg received a huge bonus to its food bank Tuesday morning. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Central Bishop's Storehouse donated more than 40,000 pounds of food was donated to the center's food bank.

All the food donated is shelf stable items that will help feed the hungry in Madison County for many months to come. The director of the Family Crisis Center Meegan Littlefield says this only helps them continue to provide aid to those in need.

"We're excited to be able to serve the community through food. We recognize that there's been a need for quite a while, especially since COVID. So any opportunity that we have to be able to distribute additional food to the community, we'll seize it; not a problem."

Marie Harris, the service and shelter coordinator at the Family Crisis Cente,r says the food will get put to good use.

"We on average serve 280 families a week and we picked up food and ordered food from the Idaho Food bank, about 38,000 pounds of food. And so having this extra 40,000 pounds of food to put on our selves that, is shelf stable, it can last years to supplement our food boxes. It's going to last a very long time."

She says they unfortunately have been limited in their capacity to help due to outside circumstances.

"It's such a blessing for our community like it's so needed. We've seen the amount of food we're receiving decrease as supply chain issues and things have become what would be the word as as we've had supply chain issues in our community and inflation that we're just receiving less donations. And so this is really timely in that manner like we are in that case. So we can, take that food and supplement it to the food we already pick up and distribute it. So it'll last months for us."

Brett Crandall, the Communications director for the Rexburg Area for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, says the donation of food Tuesday is a recognition of the good the Family Crisis Center does within the community.

"This is the church's way of of giving back to the Family Crisis Center and recognizing the good that they do in our community and not just for our church members, but for the community at large. And, yes, we do recognize a lot of those are students that attend Brigham Young University, Idaho, which is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, many of whom are members of the church. But we also want to give back to the community in which we have such a large footprint."

He adds the hope from the church is that the food, "benefits anyone who stands in need in this community."

Littlefield adds aside from helping the hungry in Madison County, they also help many others.

"The Family Crisis Center is a nonprofit. We focus our services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. And we do whatever we can to advocate, empower and enhance people's experiences as they're navigating difficult times. We have a lot of different resources available to survivors. We have a shelter. We have, obviously, our food bank. We are able to get emotional support, legal advocacy, any resources that a survivor of abuse would be needing."

She says the help survivors in Jefferson, Madison, Fremont and Clark counties need.

Harris added that for those interested in donating time, food, clothing or anything that may help those in need that they are welcome to do so.

"Ware so lucky to live where we do because people want to contribute and want to help. So if somebody wants to learn more information about how to help, they can go to our website, and under the volunteer tab. It has information about how to sign up to volunteer and how how to contact us if they're wanting to do a group project or to donate. But we take food donations any day that we're open, Monday through Friday, we're here. We'll take food donations. They could donate food that is within three years of its expiration date. So if somebody is going through their pantry and like, oh, that expired last month, we'll still take that. We can hand that food out."

She says you don't have to just donate food.

"They could donate houseware items, clothing, small furniture items. And we also take cleaning supplies and toiletry teas and paper goods like toilet paper, paper towels. That's something that we're always needing."

She says for those in the Madison County area, you can participate in the food bank, on Wednesday or Friday from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.