Wesley United Methodist Church’s food commodities distribution in Iola will resume Monday, Aug. 25, at 4:30 p.m., after being paused in June due to federal funding changes.
The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) had announced a temporary halt to its June food commodity shipments after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) failed to provide the necessary administrative funds to cover shipping expenses. Without that financial support, DCF could not complete scheduled deliveries, resulting in the cancellation of the June 23 distribution at Wesley UMC in Iola.
“Unfortunately, when there are delays at the federal level, they directly impact our ability to fulfill deliveries at the local level,” the agency stated.
THE PAUSE was part of a larger evaluation at the federal level under the Trump administration. For a time, there was uncertainty about whether the program might be defunded altogether. Ultimately, the review was short-lived and funding has since been restored.
“When groceries are so high and families have food emergencies, you don’t want to miss even one distribution,” said Marie Barclay, Wesley UMC Administrative Assistant. “We are super thankful that the distributions are back, just in time for back-to-school.”
Barclay noted the Wesley UMC distribution differs from many local pantries.
“The Wesley UMC distribution is federally funded whereas many pantries are based on local donations and were able to continue their mission, uninterrupted,” she said.
Wesley UMC’s distribution is part of The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a federally funded initiative that provides staple foods to eligible households.
Nationwide, TEFAP and similar programs, along with food pantries and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), provided food assistance to an estimated 9.3 million households in 2023.
LOCALLY, the program depends on the work of volunteers who travel to the regional warehouse to pick up shipments, prepare bags of food, manage program administration, and serve community members who often line up as early as 2 p.m. to receive assistance.
The distribution is on the east side of the church parking lot. Eligible participants include all community members aged 60 and older, as well as families who meet TEFAP income guidelines.
Those with questions about commodities distributions can call Wesley UMC at 620-365-2285 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., Monday through Thursday.