Central Iowans in need will soon be able to visit a food pantry with a wide range of culturally-specific groceries.
The Global Neighbors Multicultural Welcome Pantry will carry foods for communities from Central and South America, Africa, Southeast Asia and elsewhere.
Mak Suceska is the manager of operations of Polk County’s Global Neighbors, one group collaborating on the project. He says the pantry won’t just be for immigrants and refugees.
“This pantry will continue to have foods available that are currently represented and available at pantries,” Suceska says, “and of course, it’s open to the broader public and community.”
Local Latino, Asian and African community groups are involved in the project and will help pick out which foods to stock. Suceska says organizers hope the broader selection of food will make things a little easier for newcomers who are moving to the country.
“A lot of times, folks who were food insecure and looking for something were either leaving the pantries or were not taking food that was available to them,” he says.
The pantry is scheduled to open in early February. It will be housed in what’s now the Polk County Northside Food Pantry in Des Moines.
