NORTH OGDEN, Utah — Before the sun rises, Mike Larson starts his day sorting food at the Tri-City exchange. Not long after that, there’s a line of wagons holding people’s places in line to get groceries at the exchange.
“This year alone, we’ve given away 192 million pounds of food,” Larson said.
Since it started in 2020, Larson's food pantry has grown significantly.
“My wife came home and said, ‘Hey, there is no food in the grocery stores,’ and I didn’t believe her, so we went to the store and there was nothing, so it’s like okay we gotta help,” he said.
Tooele couple opens their hearts, pantry to struggling neighbors:
The pantry used to see 500 people a month and now sees between 1,100 and 1,600 people each month.
“With EBT out, I have no idea what’s going to happen," Larson admitted. "We’re receiving hundreds of phone calls a day."
According to Larson, a community has formed around the pantry, bringing people from as far south as American Fork and up to Logan.
“You’ll see people cry as they walk in the door (saying) 'I didn’t know what I was going to feed my kids,' so, I know we’ve saved lives, let’s just put it that way," he said.
The pantry is open Tuesday from 3-5 p.m., Wednesday from 10 a.m. to noon, and Friday from 12:30-5 p.m. Larson said they’re always looking for volunteers and donations. Anyone interested in helping can CLICK HERE to find contact information.
