The Osborne, Kansas United Methodist Church is holding the Osborne Food Pantry distribution on March 29, 2023 at 4:30 PM and will end at 6 PM. Anyone in need of assistance for food within the Alton, Portis, and Osborne zip codes are welcomed to come to the pantry. The Osborne Ministerial Association started the food pantry in the United Christian Church and then combined with the Osborne United Methodist Church to form the Osborne Food Pantry to have monthly food distribution.
Dorothy Ellsworth is the pastor for the Osborne United Methodist Church and is in charge of the food distribution. It takes place every last Wednesday of the month. Guests come to the Osborne United Methodist Church’s fellowship hall and are asked how many people live in the household and the ages. Along with various food items, the Ministerial Alliance gives out a voucher of the guests choice of a gallon of milk, 12 dozen eggs, or a loaf of bread which can be redeemed at Girard’s Grocery Store.
The pantry first began in 2019 at the United Christian Church and guests were given a $30 food voucher along with one to two meals. “There has become a greater need to help more people,” says Dorothy Ellsworth, the pastor for the Osborne United Methodist Church. Aware of this issue, the United Christian Church partnered with the Kansas Food Bank. The Ministerial Alliance moved the pantry to the United Methodist Church, which began the Osborne Food Pantry.
The goal of the food pantry is to help those in need, but it also offers an opportunity for community members, as well as our students, to volunteer. Many of our organizations and sports teams have volunteered at the pantry. Cindy Curry, the secretary at the Osborne United Methodist Church, has been a volunteer for the Food Pantry since January of 2019. Cindy says “I felt there were many individuals and families out there who needed the help and I am so glad to be able to be a part of this.” If you would like to volunteer for the food pantry, the doors open at 4:15.
The hope for the Osborne Food Pantry is that it will continue to help more people throughout the years. It is a rewarding opportunity for volunteers and contributors, and a great helping hand to those in need.