MT PLEASANT—Do we buy gas or food this week? That is the question on some people’s minds as they try to navigate their finances during these tough times.
The Sanpete Pantry in Mt. Pleasant has seen a substantial rise in clients. According to Marty McCain, fund raising director, summer is usually a slow time for the Sanpete Pantry, but not this summer.
“We aren’t even halfway through summer yet,” McCain said.
June was their busiest month so far this year. Even the volunteers have been surprised. The pantry had a record week the first full week in June, serving close to 150 households.
• 61 in Mt. Pleasant on Wednesday
• 32 in Mt. Pleasant on Thursday
• 35 in Gunnison on Tuesday
•20inFt.Greenon Thursday
The Sanpete Pantry has had some setbacks as well. A refrigerator unit went out, and a new one costs $7,000. After some searching, the staff found a used one for $4,600. Also, with gas prices so high, the cost for travel around the county each week to make food drops has more than doubled.
Rachael Jones of North Sanpete High School did her part to help the food pantry when she applied for a $5,000 grant from Sorenson Legacy Foundation of Midvale, Utah, and got it.
When collecting food this last fall for the holidays, she found out the new owners of the Moroni turkey plant were not as generous as Norbest had been. The pantry did not receive turkeys like it had in the past. This was the reason she initially wrote the grant. Rachel has been volunteering at the food bank since she was 6-years-old. Last fall, she organized a 5K fun run, which raised $300 for the food pantry.
With the help from Mt. Pleasant Elementary School, she collected more than 2,500 pounds of food. She wanted to help with the kid packs that supply children with food on the weekends. Children get food during the week through the school breakfast and school lunch programs. On the weekends, they were sent home with food to make sure no one in their families went hungry.
If a high school student can do her part to help the food pantry so can many others. The Sanpete Pantry is providing a great service to Sanpete County and wants to continue, so it is asking for donations this summer to keep up with demand.
Thank you to all who can help at this time. You can mail a check to: Sanpete Pantry 1080 Blackhawk Blvd. Mt. Pleasant, UT 84647 Or click sanpetepantry. org to do a secure online payment. Or use Venmo.
