Kathy Hall at Elmore County Food Pantry is an Alabama Bright Light
The Elmore County Food Pantry serves 700 families each month. (contributed)
Kathy Hall’s wish is that if you live in Elmore County, you don’t have to be hungry and you won’t have to choose between food and medicine for the night.
Hall, director of the Elmore County Food Pantry, is clear on the simple yet huge mission of the Wetumpka nonprofit.
“The mission of Elmore County Food Pantry is to relieve hunger in the county. Right now we have about 700 clients and we are providing 80 pounds of food for each person that qualifies,” Hall said.
The Elmore County Food Pantry has been feeding the hungry for 10 years. Before the pandemic, people would go inside and select what to take home. Now, the staff hands bags to their clients outside.
“The COVID-19 health crisis had made things difficult,” Hall said. “A lot of our volunteers are elderly and we are not using them. People used to come in and shop; now we give it to them outside.”
Elmore County Food Pantry is an Alabama Bright Light in the River Region from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Hall and her staff at the Elmore County Food Pantry depend on grants and donations from people and corporations to keep feeding the hungry. One of those is the Alabama Power Foundation.
“The Alabama Power Foundation is one of our biggest supporters. They give us grants and support our efforts. They also work with us if a client has issues with their utility bill,” Hall said. “Alabama Power Foundation has been great; without them, we could not do what we do.”
Something that might seem like a challenge for the Elmore County Food Pantry and most nonprofits is the social justice movement taking place across the country, but Hall said they were prepared for such a movement.
“We serve all people at the Elmore County Food Pantry. No matter what your race, color or creed is: We continue to support everyone who needs the pantry,” Hall said.
The future looks bright for the Food Pantry.
“In five years or so, I would like to see us big enough where no one in the county is hungry. I would also like to see a homeless shelter to help people beyond food,” Hall said.
When Hall sees the results of what she and the staff do, she is overwhelmed by the goodness around her.
“I could be having a really bad day – everyone has bad days – then a client comes in and says thank you so much. When you see the smile on their face, it makes it worthwhile,” Hall said. “The reason I do what I do at the Elsinore County Food Pantry is the blessing I receive personally. To be able to smile back and know they’re getting something they’re not getting anywhere else, to know they won’t go hungry, it’s incredible to say the least. To know that tonight, they won’t have to choose between medicine and food.”
For more information, visit www.Elmorecountyfoodpantry.org.
Alabama Bright Lights captures the stories, through words, pictures and video, of some of our state’s brightest lights who are working to make Alabama an even better place to live, work and play. Award-winning journalist Karim Shamsi-Basha tells their inspiring stories. Email him comments, as well as suggestions on people to profile, at karimshamsibasha@gmail.com.
