SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome, Boomer Listeners. I'm Peggy Sweet, and this is Belongin in the Bluffs, brought to you by the Iowa West Foundation. I'm joined in studio once again today with my good friend Nancy. She is the director of Timothy Swaddling Clothes. Welcome, Nancy. It is such a pleasure to be back. I'm happy to have you back. You always have such great news and inspiring stories, and I'm sure today is going to be just the same. And I am excited to hear about what we were talking about, or we've been talking about the community refrigerators. And you were going to share with me some more information on that and how the idea got started and how many we already have. So I will let you just start wherever you would like.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Okay. We got the idea for the community refrigerator here in Council Bluffs, actually, from the IOS Foundation. They came to us and I was talking about how the big food pantry on the west end of Council Bluffs had relocated and we had a void on our into town. And they directed me to Saving Grace Food Rescue in Omaha. And that's really the beginning of our story with a community refrigerator. And as we were pursuing this, we learned that Omaha had three refrigerators at that time and have just recently opened the fourth one. And we have three refrigerators committed in Council Bluffs today, and a fourth one available for the next location who wants to help their hungry neighbors. That is amazing.

SPEAKER_01 1:26

Already you have four. Hey, we're just a little bit of a step ahead here. That is awesome. So tell me the story behind it.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Okay. When the food pantry on the west end of Council Bluffs relocated about a year to a year and a half ago, we found an increased number of people who were hungry in our neighborhood. We had more people knocking on our door saying they were hungry. We saw more traffic coming to a box we have up front. And it made us understand what a void we had when we lost the food pantry. And we were looking for a solution and frankly didn't know how to fix it. And so when Michelle talked to us about the community refrigerator, I'd never even heard of one. I had no idea what it was. And it makes so much sense. We as a nation are filling our landfills full of usable food while we have hungry people. So it's a way of matching up that surplus food to locations accessible to anybody in your neighborhood.

SPEAKER_01 2:30

Okay. And you guys have done uh a lot of research and have taken notes from other communities that have been using these that are successful. So you are just a little bit ahead of the game, I think, because you kind of know what works and what doesn't work, and you're putting that knowledge to good use.

SPEAKER_00 2:47

We are. We've found that the Des Moines people have been awesome in helping us. So when we get stuck, that's our go-to. They've been helping us with software and packaging materials and messaging and all kinds of things. So that's helped us avoid some of the pitfalls we all make when we take a new project on. And we're grateful for that support and that knowledge they've shared with us.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

And we will be able to see the first one of these refrigerators around July 20th? Yes. Okay, and then more to come after that. And if we want to get more information on how we can volunteer or donate, how do we get a hold of you?

SPEAKER_00 3:25

Yes, just call Timothy Lutheran Church, and the number is 712-323-0693. And I would be happy to come out and talk to your group or have a private conversation because it's going to take all of us to feed our neighbors.

SPEAKER_01 3:41

Absolutely. I couldn't have said it better myself, Nancy. It's just another reason to live and love Council Bluffs. Thank you so much for stopping by. I look forward to having you back real soon. We need to talk about diapers next time, I think. We will. Okay. Thank you, Peggy. This has been Belonging in the Bluffs, brought to you by the Iowa West Foundation.