The food wagon train

COLE CAMP — Traffic stopped here as the wagon train turned north on Maple Street.

The wagons, pulled by students from the Lutheran School Association, were filled with bags of canned goods for the newly created Cole Camp Food Pantry.

Other students, lugging bags by hand, joined the pilgrimage from the school to the food pantry, in the rear of the Paul Kelly Insurance Agency Wednesday.

Emily Kollbaum, 13, and Jenna Harms, 7, had one of the heaviest loads to pull. Their wagon was loaded up with 11 of the bags decorated with drawings and Bible verses.

One of the most challenging parts of their journey was the last downhill of the alley to the loading dock of the food pantry. Emily tried to keep the wagon from overtaking the two as classmates followed in quick succession.

The project, organized by the school and Trinity Lutheran Church, Holy Cross Lutheran Church, and St. John’s Lutheran Church, brought about 150 bags of food collected through the churches, the school and local businesses to the pantry.

Once at the loading dock, students and volunteers formed a brigade to get the bags inside, where the bags — many filled with the ingredients for a complete meal — filled the open floor of the small back office.

Connie Moellman, manager of the food pantry, described the food drive’s results as “unbelievable.”

“The giving in this community is unreal,” she said. “The response has been unreal. It’s wonderful.”

The food drive through the Lutheran churches and school was known as Community Awareness Rewards Everyone, or CARE.

“We just put bags in different churches and people took them and bought food and brought it back to the school,” said Marshal Meyer.

Meyer helped pull a wagon to the food pantry.

“We’re just kind of wanting to help out people around here,” the 12-year-old said.

Landon Bahlamn, 6, brought his wagon to school to help the effort. After students dropped off the bags at the loading dock of the pantry, many trudged back to school, but Bahlamn rode in his wagon.

Students decorated the bags and handed them out so people could fill them up and bring them back, said Larry Anderson, principal of the school.

Anderson said students contributed items for the food pantry each Wednesday in September to help stock it and get the project going.

The food pantry, a project of all the churches in Cole Camp, serves people who live within the Cole Camp R-1 School District. It opened on Nov. 2.


IF YOU GO:
The Cole Camp Food Pantry, located in the rear of Paul Kelly Insurance Agency, 119 N. Maple St. in Cole Camp, is open from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.