Joshua’s Walls Come Tumbling Down [AUDIO]
Joshua's Storehouse in Casper is tearing down its walls to make space for more food.
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Joshua's Storehouse, Chief Operating Officer, Jay Martin, says the food pantry is in the process of major remodeling and expansion.
"We've taken out several walls. We had to fore-go with our clothing and we now have that room as our food stock room. We've got several shelves in there with about four thousand pounds of food. We've opened it up so we can get pallets in there and we have two more walls to come down so we can put our commodities in so that we don't have to haul them in one a box at a time."
Martin says there's more to be done even as they continue to serve the low income population of Casper. He says they could use help completing the job.
"We need some painters. If people are saying, "Hey listen, I want to donate some time and some skill." We'll get the paint. We want to make the place clean and make people feel good when they come in."
Operating on a voucher system, Martin says, their customer base of individuals and families in need of nutritious meals is growing significantly. Even with the economy again on the rise, he says, he's seeing lots of new families still struggling to keep food on the table.
"I'm looking at a fellow right here that's got vouchers and commodities for five and he's walking out of here and he's got two turkeys, a couple of roasts, 25 pounds of potatoes, lots of soda pop, lots of bread and he's smiling from ear to ear."
The food vouchers necessary to access the stores at Joshua's are available from many social services agencies including the Department of Family Services, Self Help, and Interfaith of Natrona County.
Martin says most of the funding for Joshua's Storehouse comes from private donations along with the help of its many volunteers.