Grace United Methodist Church to bring monthly mobile food pantry to Claremore | News | claremoreprogress.com

Oct 26, 2024

Claremore's Grace United Methodist Church is rolling out a mobile pantry to bring free food to communities in Rogers County.

Pastor Tim McHugh parked a red trailer emblazoned with a smiling Jesus, giving a thumbs-up, Wednesday evening at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Claremore.

From 5 to 8 p.m., people could come by to climb into the trailer and shop for their groceries.

"We've done it in Inola three times. We've been out to Foyil," McHugh said. "We just haven't been out to Claremore yet. So this is our first opportunity where we'll be in Claremore distributing groceries."

Grace has a regular food pantry from 2 to 6 p.m., McHugh said. But he said he noticed some people were picking up groceries for others who couldn't make it to the church because they were working or didn't have a way to get there.

So church members turned an old trailer into a mobile pantry, and McHugh said he hopes to set up in different areas around Claremore at least once a month.

McHugh said he intends to take the trailer to places where a lot of people could use the help. St. Paul's was the church's first stop in Claremore, he said, because he wanted to serve the neighborhood behind the Quick-N-Easy.

He said area residents can email [email protected] to suggest locations for Grace to park the pantry.

"We don't want to assume that we know where the need is," McHugh said.

The pantry carries enough food for about 50 families. McHugh said he stocks fresh produce, bread, dairy and dry goods, and patrons get a certain allowance based on how many people they're shopping for.

The trailer has a service window like most food trucks. But McHugh said he allows customers to climb into the trailer and pick out their groceries themselves if they want to.

"By allowing them to walk through, we give them their dignity," McHugh said. "I think we've all been in those times where money's been a little tight, or we just need a little help. So allowing someone to walk through and pick their own items, it gives them that ownership in their groceries."

Grace is partnering with the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma to provide food for its mobile pantry.

McHugh said that means people who come to pick up groceries from Grace have to fill out a form with their name, address, household size and a means of contact.

He said Grace doesn't require a form of identification or proof of citizenship.

"We're not naive enough to think that everybody's going to give us right information," McHugh said. "...None of that really matters."

Joy Ferrin, spokesperson for the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, said northeastern Oklahoma has few mobile pantries.

She said mobile pantries are of special importance in rural areas.

"[People in rural communities] have unique challenges in accessing food and so perhaps, if they don't have access to reliable transportation, that makes it even more challenging," Ferrin said. "We think it's very important to go to where people are."

Ferrin the food bank does its own mobile distributions in Rogers and the other 23 counties in its service area.

She said people can call 918-691-0830 to ask when the food bank plans to distribute food in their area.

McHugh said he foresees the need for mobile food pantries to become greater.

"I'd like to see a mobile food pantry in every single county in the state because there is a need to have a pantry open from 9 to 5," McHugh said.

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