The Cedar Rapids food pantry Together We Achieve (TWA) launched an emergency fundraiser on Wednesday, explaining in a Facebook post that it is facing the possibility of shutting down before the end of the year.
“Funding priorities have shifted away from food insecurity, even as the demand continues to rise,” TWA said in the post. “This shift has placed us in an impossible position — without immediate support, our pantry will be forced to close by August 31st.”
The Gazette reported “several of the corporations and agencies that the pantry has previously relied on for donations have become overwhelmed in the last few years by the increasing requests from food pantries and other food-based organizations. In response, many groups have changed their funding priorities to focus on organizations that are working toward long-term solutions to food insecurity.”
TWA has also seen a decline in the amount of grant money it relies on. And even though the nonprofit has cut back as far as possible on expenses, it has still seen costs outpace donations in recent years.
“I was holding out hope that we weren’t going to be in this position, that with the grants that we had written and the corporate sponsorship asks that we had made, that there would be something that came of that,” Raymond Siddell, TWA’s founder and executive director, told the Gazette.
Together We Achieve grew out of the Derecho Storm Resource Page, a Facebook group started in the aftermath of the Aug. 10, 2020 storm that devastated Cedar Rapids. That page, which organized resources to let neighbors help neighbors, led to Siddell creating “a trading post of sorts in the parking lot of his real estate brokerage,” as TWA’s site explains.
Expanding beyond its parking lot origins, TWA now operates a food pantry and community resource center in Cedar Rapids, located at 1150 27th Ave SW.
“Our pantry is more than a place for food — it’s a beacon of hope,” TWA said in its Facebook post. “We’ve distributed 1,974,096 pounds of food, 50,568 pounds of personal care items, 41,682 pounds of household items, and served 45,651 meals to-go.”
Like other food pantries around Iowa, TWA has seen the need for its services grow rapidly this year, even as financial support for the nonprofit slowed. According to Siddell, TWA’s pantry has experienced a 23 percent increase since the beginning of the year in the number of people it is serving.
“If we do not raise the 50 thousand, we will continue to show up and continue to distribute food and serve people at the pantry to the capacity of which we can,” Siddell told KCRG.
A donor who wishes to remain anonymous has pledged to meet all donations up to $25,000 for this fundraiser. Anyone wanting to help can donate through TWA’s site. TWA also accepts donations via Venmo (@twaiowa), Paypal (@twaiowa) and Cashapp ($twaiowa). Those who prefer to using a check can mail a donation to:
Together We Achieve
1150 27th Ave SW
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404
The uncertainty over the future of TWA comes the same week that another important source of community assistance in Cedar Rapids shuts its doors for good. In July, Olivet Neighborhood Mission announced it was closing, saying the demands on its services were far outpacing the resources available to it.
The mission has provided Cedar Rapidians with a wide variety of services, from a clothing closet with free and low-cost clothing and other personal items to after-school and summer programs for community kids and teens.
It started at Olivet Presbyterian Church in Cedar Rapids in 1976, as an effort by church members to provide clothing for those in need. Shortly afterwards, the group added programs for kids, and by 1987, it had expanded and moved into its own space, across the street from the church. In 2005, the mission added a food pantry to serve those experiencing food insecurity.
Olivet Neighborhood Mission’s final day will be Aug. 31. Earlier this month, the Hawkeye Area Community Action Program (HACAP) finalized a deal to buy the mission’s building. HACAP intends to continue the Head Start program run by the mission, and eventually reestablish its community resource center and food pantry.
But until that happens, the need for TWA’s services will only grow. Raising the $50,000 will help ensure TWA can remain open through the end of 2024, but the nonprofit said it realizes that is only a temporary solution to a much bigger problem: food insecurity in Iowa.
“Our food system is broken — not just due to food insecurity, but because of inefficiencies, wasted resources, and the lives impacted by hunger every day,” TWA said in its Facebook post. “Systemic change is needed, and we are committed to making it happen. But systemic change takes time, and our community doesn’t have that time right now.”
