SALT LAKE CITY — The emergency pantry at the Glendale Mountain View Community Learning Center may be in cramped quarters, but it’s got a reputation for getting the job done.
“We call it our small, but mighty pantry,” said Keri Taddie, the coordinator for the Community Learning Center. "It's a small space and food, food is constantly coming in and out of that space."
Salt Lake City resident Pat Larsen said she learned about the pantry years ago, and now doesn’t hesitate to take advantage of the goods, when the money gets tight.
"And it's pleasant, you know. There’s nobody judging you or anything like that. And that's, that's good,” said Larsen.
Keri Taddie who has been the coordinator at the Learning Center for 24 years, said it normally helps 40 to 50 families a month, but recently the demand has increased by about 25% due to so much uncertainty with the economy.
"We're getting more requests from community members, from school staff, supporting families, and we just continue to try to meet, meet those needs the best that we can, and we're grateful for the organizations that help us make this pantry possible,” said Taddie.
The pantry is one of three Community Learning Center pantries that come under the umbrella of the Salt Lake Education Foundation, a non-profit arm of the Salt Lake City School District that also has on site emergency pantries at most of the district’s 36 schools.
"Our kids come to school, we want them to be ready to learn, but also, we want them to be fed at home, and for families that are struggling, that has become a challenge,” said James Yapias, Senior Director of the Salt Lake Education Foundation.
And with the government back up and running, and to let people know community help is still needed, the Salt Lake Education Foundation is currently holding a donation drive for needed dollars to keep its pantries stocked and people like Pat Larsen from going hungry.
"It just helps, you know, canned goods, you can do a lot with the canned goods,” said Larsen.
If you would like to make a donation, go to their website here.
