KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Pantries across the Kansas City area couldn't have predicted the vital role they'd play in feeding families right now amid the economic downturn brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak.
But it's evident with every vehicle that pulls up to Cross-Lines Community Outreach outdoor pantry in Armourdale.
"We’ve just seen a huge increase in need in our community, and one day alone we served over 700 people food," Cross-Lines Executive Director Susila Jones said. "That’s a huge jump from what we normally serve in any given month."
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization served 300 families per month. Now, with people losing jobs or having hours cut, the need has grown.
Many of Cross-Lines' clientele work in job secvtors that were the first to feel the brunt of layoffs.
"I’m here for that reason like everybody else," Jane Wilson said
She works for Service Employment Redevelopment, a national work program for seniors, in Armourdale.
"It went from 25 hours to 17," she said. "Now, we’re down to 16 and now we’re on hiatus until whenever."
She is among the growing number of people who are already a couple paychecks away from homelessness.
"We see a lot of hourly wage workers who are already at the low-income side, so then when their hours are cut even a little bit they see a huge impact on their ability to feed themselves and their family," Jones said.
Cross-Lines ran out of food this week, which has never happened before. Community partners stepped up, delivering much-needed pantry staples that are now being boxed up for the steady stream of people waiting outside.
"We have canned goods," Anderson Rasmussen, an administrative coordinator for Cross-Lines, said. "We need more. Any sort of grains cereal. We get donations of pastries and things, but even bulk products like dairy and meat are in high demand."
Jones expects to run out of food again by Wednesday, but is grateful for their partners who have come through in a tough time.
"Just to see the relief on people's face when we're able to load their trunk full of produce, vegetables, and canned goods, it’s good we’re able to do that for people," Jones said.
The outdoor pantry is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
