Food bank in danger of closing
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NORTHUMBERLAND, PA ( WNEP) — The shelves at Kate’s Kupboard are filled with food, diapers, laundry detergent, and more.
The food pantry inside Saint John’s Lutheran Church in Northumberland serves between 500-1,000 people each month.
Because of COVID-19, Coordinator Lou Van Gilder says the need is greater than ever.
“I offer anybody who calls me or texts me to come, and I’ll help them individually. I’ve had six people in the last two days, and I have four more coming tomorrow,” Lou Van Gilder said.
Kate’s Kupboard started eleven years ago as a giveaway for cleaning supplies. In 2018 it also started giving away food.
Kate’s Kupboard relies on donations and is funded through trusts.
But because of the coronavirus pandemic, funding has dried up.
“The last order we got on Thursday made us $122 short in our bank. We are broke. Unless we get some money from somewhere, we’re out of business,” Van Gilder said.
Van Gilder says it takes around $7,000 a month to run the pantry.
Right now, they have enough food and supplies to stay open through October.
“We’ll have handed out the last food that we can unless we get some more money,” Van Gilder said.
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