Burrows Center Offers Evening Food Pantry and Extended Summer Hours
With food and gas prices continuing to rise, individuals and families who live paycheck to paycheck are being forced to squeeze their already-tight budgets more than ever. The Salvation Army Burrows Center food pantry is critically important to the Omaha community, providing nutritious non-perishable food as well as fresh produce and bread to those who are struggling with food insecurity and hunger.
In order to meet the community’s increasing needs, the Burrows Center opened its pantry doors for special evening hours on May 4 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Also, from June 6 through Sept. 2, the pantry will be open on Wednesdays each week from 1 to 3:30 p.m., in addition to its regularly scheduled hours (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3:30 p.m.).
“We try to offer an evening pantry when we can so that people who work or have other obligations during our regular daytime hours can still stop by to get the help they need,” said Tiffanie McCowin, director of material assistance and seasonal services for The Salvation Army of Omaha. “And with kids out of school, there’s often more need during the summer. We try to be as accessible as possible so individuals and families who need help can get it.”
A mother of four who was visiting the Burrows Center food pantry for the first time last Wednesday said the help came at just the right time. “Our power was turned off this morning, and I knew I needed to get some food for the kids,” she said. “This is an absolute life-saver.”
McCowin reports that 144 individuals (56 families) shopped for groceries at the May 4 evening food pantry.
The Burrows Center food pantry typically fills more than 5,000 grocery orders every year. In addition, the Center also offers utility assistance and seasonal services, including Christmas assistance, free box fans during the summer months and school supplies to help kids start the school year off right.
Visit the Burrows Center webpage for more information or consider making a donation to help those most in need in the Omaha metro.