Knox County Food Cupboard News: New Hours and More!

Starting on September 7, 2018, the Knox County Food Cupboard will be open to the public on a new time schedule.

The Food Cupboard, which provides monthly commodities to families and individuals living in Knox County free of charge, will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on the first Friday following the first Thursday of each month.

“We were having too many problems with people coming at 11:00 a.m. when we locked the doors to let people go home for lunch. We were turning them back. A lot of people said they would come back later but didn’t make it back. This way we’re not closing for lunch. That way, we might make a difference and help more people out,” said Food Cupboard Board of Directors member Leon Blake.

Food Pantry volunteers will be offered sandwiches and other easy to grab and go items during the distribution days. They will also rotate in and out, if they need to go home for lunch or a break.

The Knox County Food Cupboard is a massive effort by local people for local people. All of the work to be done is by volunteer. Lately, the numbers needed to run the monthly commodity distribution has been shrinking. Not as many volunteers have been able to assist with the distribution for a plethora of reasons.

Anyone interested in volunteering at the Knox County Food Cupboard should report to the Food Cupboard on commodity days. It is located on the northwest corner of East Morgan and South Second Street. Volunteers have been known to serve in the morning or afternoon, help during their lunch break or stay the whole day. Any help offered would be greatly appreciated, according to Blake.

The Food Cupboard is open to everyone who lives in Knox County. All Knox County citizens are eligible to receive a monthly cache of free groceries from the cupboard. There are no restrictions on income, family size or age.

Those wishing to take advantage of the monthly distribution can. Please bring your ID, a recent utility bill showing your address and a large container or two to hold your groceries. Also, it would help the volunteers loading vehicles considerably if the trunk or another area of your vehicle was cleaned out beforehand leaving plenty of room for them load your groceries after you receive them.

Due to the close proximity of the Edina Post Office, please be mindful of not parking in their parking lot. It becomes a hassle for post office workers and customers. If you’re planning on picking up food from the Food Cupboard, please park on the street.