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Ruby’s Pantry Austin is reaching out to volunteers to help with its food distribution. With summer activities getting in full swing, the number of volunteers at Ruby’s distributions has decreased. The pantry is asking anyone who has the time to consider volunteering for some of the pop-up food share distributions in the coming months.

The distributions are the third Thursday of every month at the Mower County Fairgrounds. Distribution set up begins around 2:30 p.m. and the pantry starts at around 4 p.m. Clean up is usually finished by 6 p.m. The next several Pantries are June 17, July 15, Aug. 19 and  Sept. 16.

Ruby’s Pantry provides a way for area residents to stretch their family budget by providing food items and some dry goods. All that is asked is a $20 cash donation for each bundle to help cover transportation and storage costs.

Ruby’s Pantry started in September of 2019 at Grace Lutheran Church in Austin. They moved to the Mower County Fairgrounds in April of 2020 because of the COVID-19  pandemic and went to a drive-by distribution to speed up the process and to improve  safety. Ruby’s intends to continue to use the drive-by method as it has worked very well  for guests and volunteers.

Volunteer groups from area churches, businesses, schools and sports teams have  stepped up help in recent pantries. If anyone has questions about volunteering, they should call Grace Lutheran Church at 433-3445. More information can be found at  Facebook.com/Rubys-Pantry-Austin.