With increased food needs, the Iola Food Pantry is starting regular hours on June 3.

The food pantry will be open on the first and third Wednesdays from 8 to 10 a.m. and on the second and fourth Thursdays from 5 to 7 p.m.

People can pull up on the John Street side of the Iola Food Pantry (located in Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 395 E Iola St.), and volunteers will check on household size, then load food into the person’s car.

The Iola Food Pantry started in 1983, as a project of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church Mary Circle.

But last year’s government shutdown came at the same time as a large food drive by the Iola-Scandinavia DECA club. The Iola Food Pantry had lots of food – and people needed it. So, several “No Questions Asked Food Box Giveaways” were organized in December, March, April, and May. More food was distributed, and people gained greater awareness of the Iola Food Pantry.

“The response to these events has been clear,” said Gail Kenny, pastor at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. “People need food, and we have volunteers willing to serve. So why not have regular hours for our community, as most pantries do?”

Morning and evening hours, along with two different days, help people who work various shifts or can only get to the food pantry on certain days.

For more information, call Our Savior’s Lutheran Church at 715-445-2666.