Volunteers make the difference at Trinity Lutheran Church’s food pantry. Here, pausing during a busy day at the pantry recently, are from left, Ruth Clasen, Renie Burnett, Karen Hinderks and Olivia Young.
If you know Karen Hinderks, you’ve heard her say; “to serve others is my mission,” and you also know its no idle promise.
For nearly 50 years, Hinderks has put her values into action, to the benefit of hundreds of families in Webster City and Hamilton County. On a recent weekday, I arranged to meet her in her “office,” the busy food pantry at Trinity Lutheran Church in Webster City.
Hinderks still recalls how shocked she, and then-pastor John Grebner were, when, in 1997, a man walked into the church office, saying his family had no food.
“We had no idea what we’d do; we just said, come back, we’ll help you,” remembers Hinderks.
That’s how the church-based food pantry got its modest start. For quite a while it was nothing more than “a shelf in a closet,” according to Hinderks.
Today, the pantry sprawls over three rooms, backed up by a freezer in the basement. In addition to fresh, frozen or canned foods, a visitor to today’s pantry will find a small selection of clothing, shoes, dishes, bedding, kitchen utensils, books, children’s toys, disposable diapers, school supplies, and even, on occasion, furniture. There’s also a choice of “personal items,” including toothpaste, razors and blades, soap, shampoo and skin lotions.
“We soon found out people needed much more than food,” said Hinderks.
Since its founding, the pantry has relied on the generosity of others; the church has never had a budget for it.
When I asked Hinderks who these donors were, she said, thoughtfully, “So many people from all over Webster City and Hamilton County are not only donors, but regular donors.”
They include other churches, service clubs and individuals, some of whom stop by each week with food or cash to keep the pantry going. She specifically named the Congregational UCC church in Blairsburg, and annual drives by employees of Van Diest Medical Center, Webster City, and THE Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office as stalwart supporters.
When I asked her if the matching dollars grants sponsored by Enhance Hamilton County Foundation the last three years, made a difference, she smiled and said, “just wonderful.”
A big boost came in 2007 when the pantry became a partner-distributor of Food Bank of Iowa, headquartered in Des Moines. Founded in 1982, the organization is one of 200 food-gathering and distributing charities affiliated with Feeding America, a national nonprofit.
According to Annette Hacker, vice president of Communications, Food Bank of Iowa, the organization supplied 20 million pounds of food to Iowans in 55 counties in 2021.
The Trinity Lutheran food pantry is one of more than 700 local partners who help distribute that food.
I was able to see the value of this partnership first-hand, for on the day of my visit, a Food Bank of Iowa truck delivered the following to Trinity Lutheran: 30 dozen eggs, 70 pounds of ground beef, 30 pounds of ground chicken, salmon, tuna, string cheese, pancake mix, almond milk, crackers and vanilla frosting. The total cost to the church for all this food? $60, which wouldn’t even cover shipping costs at commercial rates.
Hinderks has high praise for the Food Bank of Iowa, saying; “They’re very reliable; we usually get everything we order.”
Karen Hinderks was hired as church secretary and Christian Education director at Trinity Lutheran in 1975, progressing to office manager, and, finally, administrator, before retiring in March 2020.
Forty-five years is a successful career for anyone, but, after retiring, Hinderks continued managing the food pantry just as she had when employed.
Her spirit of volunteerism and helping wherever needed is legendary at Trinity Lutheran. Long-time church member Loween Getter speaks for many when she says:
“There’s a special person in every organization, business, and community whose devotion, knowledge and humility keeps things moving smoothly. Karen is one of those people who has done that for many years at Trinity Lutheran Church and the Hospital Auxiliary Gift Shop. She is always willing to help those in need of the basics or lend a listening ear. She hesitates to accept praise for all she has done.”
Karen asked if I might come back another day to snap a photo for this article. Without saying so directly, it was clear she wanted to be certain the pantry’s other volunteers were recognized. During this visit — on a Friday — the pantry hummed with activity. Frozen meat from the freezer in the basement was being brought upstairs on a trolley, a volunteer restocked the bread rack (breads and pastries are donated each week by Hy-Vee), a young man put canned foods into a small basket, while another volunteer helped a first-time recipient fill out paperwork.
For Karen Hinderks, it was just another day at the office.
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