TOBY ZIEMER/LUTHER COLLEGE
In Decorah, Iowa, Luther College students and dining room staff freeze and transport leftovers from the school’s cafeteria for First Lutheran Church’s food pantry.
ELCA college, congregation take Matthew 25 to heart
certain stores at a deep discount. “One dollar buys $11 worth of food. We can get a whole carton of cereal for the price of a single box,” she said. Te pantry is open to the public every aſternoon,
Monday through Friday, and Tursday evenings, in con- junction with the Decorah Community Free Clinic. “We operate on the basis of Matthew 25:35: ‘For I was hungry and you gave me food,’ ” said Flaskerud, who sees an increasing number of elderly clients and young families. Te unemployment rate in Decorah (population 8,000,
including the college) is 4.1 percent (U.S. average is 8.6 percent). Decorah jobs have decreased by 3.38 percent. “Even with two parents working, [the families] aren’t
making it,” Flaskerud said. Te food pantry is volunteer-driven. Luther Col-
lege students also help with translation to Spanish, an important service, Flaskerud said. Tey join “lots of First Lutheran members and other people from the com- munty,” she added. “Maren was one of these volunteers, and now she is graduated and a [Luther College food education] leader.” At age 80, Flaskerud has an unflagging enthusiasm for
the pantry. “We have another way of gathering food. At the end of spring term, we put big cartons in the hall- ways of all the dorms at Luther,” she said. “We ask stu- dents to drop all their packaged and canned food there when they move out instead of throwing it away.” Te Caf to Community program will keep supplying food throughout the summer, Stumme-Diers said, add-
By Ann Hafften
ing, “When kids are out of school, there is an increased need for supplementary food.” In April, Caf to Community received a $4,880 grant
from the Winneshiek County Community Foundation, allowing the program to use reusable containers instead of disposable ones.
Efforts expanded Also in April, Luther College became a member of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Challenge, a national initiative that encourages busi- nesses and institutions to donate surplus food and recycle food waste. Member organizations help keep food waste out of landfills—one of the largest contribu- tors of methane gas, which affects climate change. Applauding the steps taken by Luther and other
higher education institutions, EPA regional administra- tor Karl Brooks said, “[Tey] lead the way to reducing wasted food, saving energy and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Food today makes up 21 percent of Ameri- cans’ trash, so by participating in the [Food Recovery Challenge] these colleges and universities gain access to tools and assistance they will use to cut food waste, save money, help commu- nities and protect the environment.”
Author bio: Hafften is a writer, editor and member of Messiah Lutheran Church in Weatherford, Texas.
July 2014 27
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