Wesley United Methodist Church of Iola announced there will be no food commodities distribution on Oct. 27, continuing a pause that began earlier this year due to federal funding issues.
The distribution program, which had been paused in June, was initially halted after the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) reported that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had not provided the necessary administrative funds to cover shipping costs. Without those funds, DCF could not complete scheduled deliveries, leading to the cancellation of the June 23 distribution at Wesley UMC.
After briefly resuming in August, the program is once again on hold for October. “It’s for the exact same reason,” said Marie Barclay, Wesley UMC Administrative Assistant. “We were sad to hear that once again, funding for transportation at the federal level will impact families all across Kansas who need food.”
Barclay added that the church will keep the community informed as more details about the next distribution become available. “The next earliest possible distribution date would be in December,” Barclay noted.
Wesley UMC’s food 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 relies on volunteers who travel to regional warehouses to pick up shipments, prepare food bags, manage administrative tasks, and serve community members who often line up as early as 2 p.m. to receive assistance. Distributions take place on the east side of the church parking lot, and eligible participants include all community members aged 60 and older, as well as families who meet TEFAP income guidelines.
