One of the focal points for this year is Carol’s Pantry, the community food relief program run by the Oneida Crisis Center.  Volunteers will be collecting donated food items from homes and drop off points in town to be sorted at a number of locations.  The donations will then be taken to Carol’s Pantry and sorted and stocked onto shelves.

The drive comes at a very helpful time for the Pantry.  According to Holly Llewellyn, Crisis Center director, food stocks right now are “Low, extremely low.  We currently have no meat or canned pasta. We have little peanut butter, pancake mix, oatmeal, shelf stable milk, syrup, crackers, instant potatoes, chili and pork and beans.”  The pantry relies for its operation on donations, food drives, and volunteers to stay operational.  

A recent safety and wellness grant from Rocky Mountain Power to support the pantry has been keeping the pantry open, though the funds are quickly consumed by paying for utilities, gas, and other overhead costs, as well as supporting the various programs throughout the valley.  While the grant has been extremely helpful, there is no substitute for the help of the community, which is the primary source of food items during the year.

Carol’s Pantry offers food for anyone, although some programs, such as the monthly senior food box, are age and income-restricted, as prescribed by the federal government.  The Food Pantry is the only one of its kind in the county, and provides year round access to all who need food assistance.  The Pantry also provides access to monthly food boxes for seniors.  Students at each of Oneida County’s four public schools can also pick up bags from counselors — an important resource considering some of them may not always have many opportunities to get a healthy meal between the time school lets out on Thursday and resumes again on Monday.

 The staff and volunteers at Carol’s Pantry also make sure food is available at Oneida County’s probation office, where adults and juveniles report under court supervision. The probation office is located in central Malad City, making it more accessible to county residents without reliable transportation.

 The pantry’s volunteers help in a variety of ways. They may accept food from food banks, grocers, churches and individual donors, sort it, stock shelves and even deliver it to people who can’t easily reach a pantry.  

It’s one way the people in Malad City and elsewhere take care of each other.  “You can’t have healthy, happy families if people are hungry,” said Malena Jimenez, the outreach and awareness advocate with the Oneida Crisis Center.  “You put on whatever hat you can and try to help people out,” says Jimenez.

The Crisis Center is consistent with its thanks to people in the community for their continued support, and hopes that this year’s Day of Service drive will be a huge success.  As Llewellyn said, “We are incredibly thankful for the support that we have received from our community as we endeavor to accomplish our mission statement. We would really appreciate the community’s involvement in our upcoming events.”

Summer and Fall can be particularly important months for food donations, according to the USDA Economic Research Service.  While holidays often see a large influx of monetary and food donations, those typically begin to trail off after April and through the summer, leading to low stores at food pantries as the weather begins to turn colder and fresh food becomes harder to find in many locations.  This is very much the current situation in Oneida County, and one of the main reasons that this year’s Day of Service is specifically seeking to aid the organization. 

Supporting the Crisis Center is very much supporting Oneida County itself.  The Center is responsible for monthly outreach and engagement activities at all Oneida County Schools throughout the year, and hosts events which call attention to specific issues affecting the lives of local residents.  On September 19, the Center will sponsor a Suicide Awareness Walk in collaboration with Nell J. Redfield Memorial Hospital.  On October 9, the Center will be hosting Walk into Healthy Relationships, which is Gabrielle Lund’s senior project. The night will involve a fun gathering featuring awareness, activities, and chili dinner to be held at the City Park.  As the winter draws on, in December Holiday Foods baskets will be prepared in collaboration with the Interfaith Council, and Toys for Tots donations will be coordinated in collaboration with the U.S. Marines.  Looking forward to next year, the Center’s premier event, the Gala and benefit auction, will be held in February 2024.

 Anyone seeking Crisis Center services can reach out by calling the 24/7 crisis line at 208 766-3119, visiting the office Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., visiting the website at oneidacririscenter.org, call the main office at 208 766-4412 or emailing at [email protected].

Day of Service

A number of other activities and projects will also be undertaken during the weekend’s Day of Service.  The Day of Service was originally begun to promote community solidarity and goodwill in commemoration of the national mood of service following the events of 9/11.  Projects involve beautifying and maintaining the valley that residents call home.  This year’s projects include replacing siding at the Presbyterian Church, cleaning Holbrook Community Park, trimming tree starts along the greenbelt at the City Park, painting at the Fairgrounds, cleaning of the public shooting areas, cleaning behind the Veterans memorial, and various projects at Heritage Square in Samaria, which will all be underway across the valley from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00.  

For more information on how to help, readers can visit Justserve.org and type in “Malad City” or “Holbrook” into the search bar.  Readers can also contact organizer Scott Gunter at 1-208-317-1612 or Vicky Kent at 1-208-221-0606 or Luke Waldron at 1-208-380-3522.  Specific project coordinators can be found listed at the website, along with information about any tools or supplies that are needed.