Melissa Drinka has been running the pantry since 2008. It started in 2000, operating out of garage owned by her father’s friend. Since 2017, it has been located in the former Presbyterian Church, which now houses the Blood of the Lamb Ministry, a non-denominational church where she serves as pastor.

The pantry is named Moe’s Kitchen in honor of her husband’s uncle, who ran a soup kitchen in Chicago for a number of years.

“He … cooked for everyone on the line. I would never have helped in a pantry if he didn’t inspire me,” she said. “He used to be a chef and started volunteering with the little old ladies at the Catholic church. I used to love listening to his stories.”

They pick up food each week through Feeding America at the central hub in Crivitz, Wis.; 11 area pantries use the same site every Tuesday morning. “We had to drive all the way to Milwaukee once a month to get our groceries, so this is a great improvement,” Drinka said.

Pembine, Wis., graduate Ava Geldmeyer helps carry boxes of food out of Moe's Kitchen Food Pantry for distribution. She volunteered during a college break to help out at the pantry. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News)

They also receive a monthly box for ages 60 and older from Hunger Task Force, which operates out of Milwaukee but is also picked up in Crivitz.

Once back at Moe’s Kitchen, volunteers fill bags and boxes that will be passed out. Food is distributed at about 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays.

“It’s all volunteer; nobody gets paid. Any money that comes through here keeps the building operational and keeps the food pantry going,” Drinka said. She has about 32 people who volunteer.

Like many food pantries, they have struggled the past few years compared with before COVID-19.

“The supply is low. It’s what the big companies want to write off. Before COVID, they donated so much more, so much better,” she said. “It’s really rough because there isn’t really anything to order off Feeding America’s grocery shelves right now.”

Moe's Kitchen is housed in the former First Presbyterian Church in Pembine, Wis. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News)

More people are also struggling with higher prices, so demand has increased.

“We have more people calling and more people are showing up. And the other food pantries are getting tighter on who they help … So we’ve picked up more people because of the prices of food and the economy,” Drinka explained.

They do take monetary donations as well as donated items. The Ladies from the Grace Lutheran Church provided paper products, for example, which were included to the boxes.

“If you don’t have to buy those things, you have more money for food,” Drinka said. “If people ask, we will give suggestions of things we normally don’t get on the pantry list. People drop stuff off like apples from the orchard. We wouldn’t be able to do this without help.”

Others helped them get grant money for equipment for the pantry, and other equipment was donated. They received a $6,200 grant for the enclosed trailer they use for picking up food.

Eventually they would like to have their own building, like many pantries in neighboring communities.

They have several fundraisers during the year to help pay for utilities for the building. The biggest is the annual brat fry during Memorial Day weekend at Patti’s Hang Out in Pembine. Other fundraisers include meat raffles and a chili cheese fundraiser.

Drinka is originally from Pembine but met her husband, Dave, who was from Chicago, in Green Bay, Wis.

“This is my passion, and I have been doing this for so long,” she said.

For more information on receiving a food, call 906-282-1816. They are at N18642 Presbyterian Way, P.O. Box 111, Pembine, WI 54156.