The Waunakee Food Pantry is poised for growth. Now in a 4,000-square-foot building double the size of the previous space, the local pantry is able to serve more families from the lower level of the former public library as the community grows. 

Kathy Gundrum, its director, spoke to the Waunakee Rotary Club at the March 23 meeting. She’s been at the pantry for a year and half and said it’s continually growing and changing. About two years ago, the Waunakee Ecumenical Board began making plans to move the pantry to its 710 South Street location, and that plan has finally come to fruition. 

It went pretty seamlessly, despite weekly Thursday snowstorms, thanks to members of the National Guard who offered to help out. Their help and other volunteers saw to it that all of the food and equipment was moved into the new space the morning of Ash Wednesday, before that full storm hit. 

Now Kathy is visiting service clubs, like Rotary, along with others about the move. 

The pantry serves between 25-50 families a week and is fairly small compared to the River and Middleton pantries. 

It is a drive-up operation, where families place orders online or on paper then pick food up at stations, with one offering fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs and meat, another with stocked items and a third with special items that may have been donated. 

The community can help by dropping off food donations at Piggly Wiggly, where a list needed foods is located near the entrance. You can also find a list of needs on the food pantry’s website, Kathy said. 

The Waunakee Neighborhood Connection is planning to move to the upper level of the library, and while the two operations may not be open together, people can make appointments and learn where the other is. 

Kathy said the pantry is built for growth because the number of clients seems to be increasing. 

******

Other News:

-Volunteers are needed for the April 1 Easter Bunny visit at Ripp Park. It will be from 9-11 a.m. Jim Kattner recommends showing up at 8:30 before all the traffic arrives. Help is also needed monitoring traffic and assisting the Easter Bunny.

-The club has scholarship applications and is waiting for the judges to finish their work. 

-New member orientations are the fifth Wednesday of the month at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Let President Joe Baer know if you need the link to the online orientation.

Guests: Speaker Kathy Gundrum; Janette Jordee and Kristin Runge, guests of Phil Willems; Kathy Grosskopf, guest of Dean Grosskopf; Cordelia Whitley, guest of Sara Whitley. 

Visiting Rotarians: None. 

Birthdays: April 1, Ken Pesik; April 2, Lisa Humenik; April 2, Dan Evans; April 4, Ray Statz.

Anniversaries: March 31, Drew and Lolly Lawrence

Greeters: March 30, Bob Klostermann and Neil Kruschek; April 6, Nancy Kuehn-Thomas and Drew Lawrence; April 13, David May and Kevin McDaniel; April 20, Mark McFarland and Gordon Meicher; April 27, Nick Mischler and Liz Mueller.