“We expected a rush,” said Schlief, who is the director of UDMO for six counties.

And that’s exactly what she got as a steady flow of vehicles could be seen bumper-to-bumper in the parking lot.

The long line of cars represented Webster County families picking up sacks of food to help feed their own.

“We started at 4:30 and are going until the food runs out,” Schlief said.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Nicole White, left, hands off sacks of food to an individual during a drive-thru food pantry at Upper Des Moines Opportunity on Wednesday. White was one of nine helpers who provided a means of nutrition for families in Webster County.

Schlief said people started lining up at 2 p.m.

“It was crazy,” she said.

While Schlief was helping direct cars out of the lot and back onto busy First Avenue South, eight others were preparing sacks of food.

Helpers like Madalyn Montgomery and Nicole White got the sacks ready and handed them off to people through car windows.

Some people walked by to get their serving.

-Messenger photo by Chad Thompson
Countless sacks of food items filled the offices at Upper Des Moines Opportunity before being handed out during a drive-thru food pantry Wednesday to Webster County families who need them.

The sacks were placed in large boxes just outside of the UDMO office. Inside the building, even more sacks filled the office space.

“This was all full,” said Dianna Georg, outreach specialist for UDMO, pointing to one of the offices. “We had our offices totally packed.”

Bread, fiber bars, cereal, corn, graham crackers, pasta, soup, packets of oatmeal, fruit, juice, eggs, milk and pork loin, were among the items included in the sacks.

“We packed for 400 families,” Georg said.

The food came from the Food Bank of Iowa. It arrived Wednesday morning on a truck.

“It’s about 11,000 pounds of food,” Schlief said. “We spent about $1,300.”

The money for the food was raised through community donations.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, people are needing access to nutrition just as much, if not more, than ever, according to Schlief.

“We are seeing the need with everything going on,” Schlief said. “The food pantries are overwhelmed.”

It was the first day UDMO held a drive-thru food pantry, but may not be the last.

“We are planning one next month as long as a need is still present,” Schlief said. “Food is a huge need for families. Any way we can help is good.”