Helping Hands Food Pantry in Knoxville continues to need volunteers and donations.

The local food pantry has been operating for 41 years and is located at 110 W Main St. They are open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm and the pantry serves food and offers some thrift store clothing and household items as well. Helping Hands sees strong holiday donations, but that tends to slow down coming into the new year and the pantry’s volunteers want to make the community aware that hunger is prevalent locally year round. They also tell KNIA/KRLS that they are still rebounding from the government shutdown that happened in November.

Helping Hands accepts a wide variety of food donations, but monetary gifts are particularly encouraged because they can stretch dollars farther than someone can at the grocery store, as they get their food for a significantly discounted rate at the Food Bank of Iowa. The pantry also moved to a client choice model last year, where clients can come in and choose what they want instead of just receiving a bag without preferred options. The client choice model change means the pantry continues to need volunteers for various tasks. Pat Finan with Helping Hands says they strive to be a go to place to help as many people as they can in the community.

“I would just say find it in your heart. You look at the news and you hear about government shutdowns, and you see people on the street and we’re there to help. We’re sort of a go-to place for so many people in the community. If you want to make a donation, PO Box 412 is a great place to send money. You can stop by any time Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 9-3 at 110 West Main Street and I’d be happy to show you around and train new volunteers. We’d love to see you.”

For physical food donations, the pantry states they are in a current need of macaroni and cheese, canned fruit, and soup. Hear more about Helping Hands from Finan on an upcoming Let’s Talk Knoxville.