LOGAN, Utah — For more than 50 years the Cache Community Food Pantry has provided a service to families struggling with food insecurity.
The pantry was started in 1973 by a woman who collected food for people in need. That effort grew into the non-profit that is helping the community today.
“We provide that safety net for people,” said Matthew Whitaker, the director of the pantry. “I love to help people and love to see the stress melt away from their face.”
As northern Utah grows, Whitaker has seen the need grow in his time working for the non-profit. “When I started here over 20 years ago, a busy week was about 80 families a week,” he said.
Now, about 400 families are served every week. Many face a financial cliff caused by cost-of-living increases or unexpected medical bills.
“The story is always the same,” he described. “They say, ‘I used to be able to put a couple hundred [dollars] away every month, now I am a couple hundred a month in the hole.”
The pantry is unique in that it provides healthy, fresh food like fruits and vegetables. Whitaker’s best job satisfaction comes when he hears a success story from someone who no longer needs the pantry’s services.
“We had a single mother who lost her husband,” he recalled. “She had a child, didn’t speak English and we helped her for almost six years. She had to learn English, she went back to school, and 6 years later she came in and put her graduation announcement on my desk. She’s now a registered nurse.”
To recognize the decades of service to the people of Cache County, the pantry was honored with the FOX 13 Smith’s Zero Hunger Hero Award for September and received a $500 gift card from Smith’s.
Learn more about the pantry here.
To nominate a person or organization working to fight hunger in their community send an e-mail to GoodDayUtah@FOX13Now.com.