The City of Kalona is hosting a pre-Christmas “Pop Up Food Pantry” this Saturday.

City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh says they’ll have 200 food boxes available and those in need can drive-up between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. at the Public Works building at 711 A Avenue in Kalona. Schlabaugh says the City has worked to provide families with a variety of food items, “We do take a lot of pride to craft the boxes with a lot of meal options. To try to supplement them to make sure there are good items for children, for families so they’ve got some good food options in there.”

Schlabaugh says the City received about 9,000 pounds of food from Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP) to help them put the food boxes together. He says the pop up pantries have been an effort to supplement area food pantries which have seen a rise in usage due to COVID-19.  Schlabaugh says the coronavirus also has brought out the good in people, “The unique part about doing this during a pandemic is you get a lot of volunteer help. And this is one of those situations where we want the help, but you have to be a little bit cautious as to how much help we’re bringing in so that we can do it in a socially responsible manner.”

Schlabaugh says those in need who want to get a food box this Saturday are not required to show proof of residence or income.