HAWARDEN—Greg Lynott’s initial thoughts were not exactly positive when Hawarden Economic Development director Carol Hoogestraat told him there was a potential new home for the Hawarden Community Food Pantry.
“Instantly my thoughts were yuck,” Lynott said.
It was the former Agri-Center building at 915 Ave. C in Hawarden and while it didn’t seem ideal to Lynott, the pantry’s board president, he did a complete 180 once he toured the building.
“When I walked in here, I immediately saw all the possibilities this building has, instantly,” Lynott, who is the president of the food pantry board said.
The new location was purchased for $170,000, ending a search for a new home for the pantry since late in 2022.
For two decades, the food pantry has been housed in the basem*nt of Hawarden American Lutheran Church but growing costs forced the congregation to make a tough decision toward the end of 2022 when they voted to end the association with the food pantry.
The church allowed the food pantry to stay in the basem*nt until a new home was found, which proved to be an arduous task. The search remained fruitless for all of 2023.
There was the possibility of purchasing a plot of land and then building a handicap accessible building but the projected cost of the project was estimated at $236,000, which didn’t even include purchasing the land.
The search continued for a few months into 2024 when Hoogestraat came across the former Agri-Center building.
“It’s truly an answered pray and perfect for our people,” Lynott said. “It’s all one level, clean and just perfect.”
There will be a guided tour of the building on the morning of June 9. The building will be open to the public for tours until 12:30 p.m.
Perks of the new building include a walk-in cooler, a loading dock for the Siouxland Foodbank in Sioux City to back right up to and unload goods and an area where people can drive up to and have their cars loaded on the north side of the building
Lynott said the building has needed some work to get it to the right standards.
“Our volunteers have been shuffling through here, whatever talents you have, anyone can do elbow grease,” Lynott said. “We’ve done a lot already to the building including painting. Denny Peters patched some holes and we know the outside still looks like crap but we will be paying for the building first and working with the inside to get it ready to be fully functioning. The walls were pressure washed by Bob Brewington, not because they were dirty but just so we knew they were done.”
Hawarden’s pantry distributes food to an average of 60 families each month and the it’s available anytime in emergencies. The first Wednesday of each month are food gives with additional distributions for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Anyone who needs food assistance can call the pantry’s director Carolyn Salberg at 712-441-5124.
“It’s compassionate and its all about doing God’s work,” Lynott said. “How many times have you heard about God feeding the poor? Take care of your neighbor, that’s what we do.”
Paying for the loan is the next hurdle the board will have to clear.
Left in the building was a Culligan water purification system. The system was installed for $20,000, according to Lynott. He hopes to get some money back for the pantry by selling it on auction through Zomer Company.
But that will only cover a portion of the cost of the loan.
There are plans to have a dinner fundraiser in the coming months.
Lynott said he can also meet any business or individual interested in taking a tour or donating to the project. Donations can also be sent to board treasurer Jim Huenink at 1711 450th St., Hawarden, IA, 51023.
“Everything helps, we are working with businesses and the feedback has been great,” Lynott said. “We are so thankful.”
Pantry director Carolyn Salberg said Lynott is a major reason why the pantry is still going and was able to find a new home.
“Greg is a God send and I say it over and over again because he gets out there and he gets things done faster than anyone I’ve ever seen,” food pantry director Carolyn Salberg said. “There are times when I am ready to go home, he is older than me and Greg stays. He is here all the time.”
Lynott said all he was doing was kicking dirt all day along with talking to cows, now being retired, he thought it was time to give back to his community.
“I am at the age where I need to start giving back to my community, I’ve always been for this community,” Lynott said. “I did not even know that there even was a food pantry in this town so I knew there was a need to get the word out and help.”
Salberg and Lynott are now part of the newly formed board of trustees which also includes vice president Glenda Van Whye, Huenink, secretary Linda Waterman, Roxanne Cook and Peters.
The building isn’t the only thing new for the organization as it has established nonprofit status. Becoming a nonprofit will allow the group to apply for more grants, give them the possibility of expanding their outreach and increase the money coming in with the grants.
“One of the requirements for being a nonprofit organization is that we have a handicapped accessible location,” Salberg said. “The American Lutheran Church has been the home of the food pantry for many years and this has been highly appreciated, but we needed a location that is more easily accessible for both the recipients and the volunteers who manage the food supplies.”
Members of the board and about 12 other volunteers monthly meet to get everything ready for the monthly food gives.
Lynott said they are grateful for the hard work done by volunteers.
“I’m 68 and the average age of our volunteers, with the give taking place in the daytime, those are the people who can generally help,” Lynott said. “By the end of the day, our backs and bodies are wore out, just naturally.”
