Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach is seeing a growing number of Lincoln-area households seeking help with food as temperatures rise this summer. From January through July, visits to Matt Talbot’s Fresh Choice Pantry increased 96 percent. Pantry visits jumped another 52 percent from June to July.
The organization also served nearly 10,000 meals on site in July, its highest monthly total so far this year. “More and more households are turning to our pantry each week to help put food on the table,” says Executive Director Alynn Sampson. “We are committed to showing up for every family who needs support, and donations help ensure our shelves stay stocked and ready.”
Matt Talbot provides meals, food pantry assistance and other services to people experiencing poverty, hunger and homelessness. More than 3,000 people receive assistance through its hunger relief and outreach programs each year, with demand typically peaking during the summer.
Sampson says fresh food supplies are currently stable, but Matt Talbot is asking for donations of canned meats, hearty soups and cereal. Businesses, community groups and individuals can help by organizing a food drive or dropping off donations Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sampson says Matt Talbot serves lunch and dinner seven days a week and operates as a day shelter weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with extended hours during heat advisories. The Fresh Choice Pantry is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1 to 3 p.m., and Thursdays from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
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