Help Veteran Families With Basic Needs Support

Jake’s and Kingdom Come continue their effort to reach Northeastern WI residents in need in Oconto County, serving at least 150 households each month.

They know the weight of hardship, yet it hasn’t stopped them in their tracks.

Many who visit Kingdom Come arrive with a smile despite the change to wait in their cars during the pandemic, and miss out on that extra bit of socializing while getting basic needs items they rely on from the food pantry of Oconto County, said Belinda Chou of the pantry.

“These older folks have worked hard through their lives,” she said. “Many have not had the best breaks in life, but they are still putting one foot in front of the other and living. They are trying to make the best of what they have living as good as they can make it. They are grateful all the time. They say thank you, even when they are struggling. They have optimism and hope that things will get better. They are resilient.”

October marked Kingdom Come’s 17th month in partnership with Jake’s. The pantry generally serves between 150-175 households each month, with products estimated at $4000 to $5000 retail, and approximately 75% of the products come from Jake’s, Belinda said. The rest are purchased by Kingdom Come or donated.

The pantry receives many hygiene products because of our partnership, including diapers, period products and adult care essentials (A.C.E. incontinence products). During its October “Diaper Day,” it served 82 clients aged 60 and over, from 59 households, in need of essential support from our A.C.E. program.

“The older Kingdom Come Food Pantry clients are on fixed income, some on the bottom of the Social Security scale,” she said. “Some are veterans. They struggle to make ends meet every month. They rely on the generosity of their community members to support them at the pantry with food. They find a way to deal with adversities as they always have – stretching the dollar, penny-pinching, dealing with the here and now. Health issues get in their way. Finding money for self-care items like Poise or adult briefs is a struggle.”

Kingdom Come is the only weekly pantry operating in Oconto County. Through COVID-19, they have focused their efforts on source CARES Act food to support the local need, and have served up to 650 households per week. The pantry is 100% volunteer and grateful for the success it has had meeting community needs.

Birthday parties of 2020 will carry their own mark of memorability, likely with a unique twist to the celebration because of COVID-19. For many families struggling with poverty, birthday parties were never something to take for granted.

At Dakota Diaper Pantry, our Diaper Drop partner in North Dakota, one mother was brought to tears when the group organized a party with cake for her child.

“No mother wants her child to have to celebrate their birthday in a shelter, but sometimes it’s unavoidable,” said Liz Larsen of the Dakota Diaper Pantry. “We set up a small birthday celebration with the other women in the shelter, and when the mom walked in she burst into tears. A cake may seem like a small gesture to some, but she said she was overcome with emotion knowing her child would get to have a birthday cake this year.”

The Dakota Diaper Pantry, a YWCA Minot program, works to eliminate diaper need in Western North Dakota. All veterans and active duty families are automatically approved for diaper program through this organization.

“By bridging the gap for families, we promote dignity and help to empower them to pursue their ambitions,” Liz said. 

The pantry serves a very rural area with a unique job market, in some cases individuals have earned 6 figures with only a 9th grade education.

“Truly, this community is being hit harder by COVID than most. We were an oil-dependent community where people with no education had the ability to make $150k+ a year easily,” Liz said. “Now, people who thought they were untouchable are unemployed, and related jobs are also unsure of if/when they’ll bounce back.”

Yet, these jobs were not accessible to everyone. Well-paying jobs are for men who can work 20 days in a row away from home without the burden of childcare. 

“We have some of the wildest differences in wealth,” Liz said. “Housing is not affordable and daycares are few and far between. … Stores can sometimes be an hour away from your home, in more rural parts. There are not a ton of resources for people, sadly.

The mother who celebrated her child’s birthday in the shelter was able to leave the emergency shelter; but then, COVID hit and her work hours were cut. Liz said she depends on diapers from the Dakota Diaper Pantry so she can maintain rent payments. 

As a Diaper Drop partner, Dakota Diaper Pantry has distributed cloth kits from Jake’s Diapers throughout COVID-19.

“We have had a few families cry because cloth diapers are spendy up front!,” Liz said. “Fixed incomes are so tight since COVID. We are able to spend our limited grant funded budget on disposable products to ensure every type of family is served!

Links:

• Jake's Diapers 2020 Year so Far Report