It all started with a donation from Jessica Hochstedler Yoder and Yoder & Bigley Relators, who stepped forward to donate hot meals to area seniors every Thursday in January and February. That got the conversation going between Kalona City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh and Wellman City Administrator Kelly Litwiller about how to best meet the needs of seniors in the community.

The Cities of Kalona and Wellman are partnering to piggy-back off that donation to provide hot meals to seniors on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, as well.

“The need for seniors was out there,” Schlabaugh said. “They weren’t necessarily using the pop-up pantries because they didn’t need the bulk food. The pop-up pantry boxes would be 40-50 pounds and a lot of seniors didn’t feel comfortable getting those because it was just too much.”

Kalona will also provide senior food bags to Kalona and Wellman seniors on Tuesdays starting in January, with the first batch going out on Dec. 23. These bags will contain non-perishable food and some perishables too, like fruit and dairy.  Much smaller in size, the bags will be more hand-picked for seniors’ needs.

Then, hot meals will start to be delivered in Kalona and Wellman on Jan. 5. Seniors can choose to get a hot meal and a bag or just one or the other — whatever fits their needs.

“Our goal is to not turn anyone away,” Schlabaugh said. “If there’s a need, we’ll figure out how to get food their way.”

The Thursday meals, funded by a donation from Yoder, will be delivered to seniors in Wellman, Kalona, Riverside, West Chester and up towards Frytown.

Donations from AllenMitchell, Hills Bank, Federation Bank, Wellman Telephone Company, Wellman Family Practice, community members and anonymous donors have made the flexible meal program possible.

“This is going to be a moving target,” Schlabaugh said. “We will work together to figure out what we can do and the best way to do it.”

Seniors interested in hot meals or food bags should call their city hall to register — unfortunately, the cities can’t handle same-day requests for hot meals at this time. Kalona City Hall can be reached at 319-656-2310 and Wellman City Hall at 319-646-2154.

Volunteers from both communities and some city staff will work to assemble and deliver meals. College students home during winter break will also help deliver meals.

Kalona and Wellman are also working through the logistics with Mid-Prairie Community School District to have staff and students assist with assembling food bags and making deliveries.

Anyone interested in volunteering for the senior food program, or in making a monetary donation, should contact the Kalona or Wellman City Hall.

Kalona is also partnering with the Hawkeye Area Community Action Program to provide a drive-up pop-up pantry on Saturday, Dec. 19 from 9-11 a.m. at the Public Works building at 711 A Avenue in Kalona. Materials from his pantry are also available for delivery. Interested parties should call City Hall.

Anyone experiencing food insecurity that needs emergency food can call the Kalona City Hall at 656-2310 or 936-9354 afterhours and arrangements will be made to get a food box.