Some local food pantries and emergency assistance facilities welcome college students to use their services.

Alissa Stoehr, Mid-Iowa Community Action food pantry coordinator, said she does not see many students, but anyone can use the food pantry, regardless of income.

‘It doesn”t matter if you”re a college student, if you have a family, whether you make six figures or you”re on welfare — anyone can use it,’ Stoehr said.

Stoehr said people can use the MICA food pantry at 126 S. Kellogg Ave. once every three months, and receive three to seven days worth of food each time.

MICA uses a filing system to keep track of people and households who use its food pantry. First-time clients fill out a form that includes their insurance information, if they are receiving other financial assistance and their education level. Photo identification is also required.

MICA is not an income-based operation, so disclosing income is optional to all users of the food pantry.

‘There is a space on the form to put down if you”re a student, but some people just do not fill that out,’ Stoehr said.

‘We try to ask them to fill out the form as much as they can, but if we are busy, we may not have time to look at the form.’

She said there have been very few times that anyone has tried to abuse the system.

‘When people abuse the system, that hurts everybody,’ she said.

Treva Martsching, clerk and treasurer for the Seventh Day Adventist Church, 1120 Marston Ave., said its food bank is also available to anyone who needs it.

‘If [students] want to, they can — anybody can,’ Martsching said. ‘When we distribute our food, we don”t care what they believe or what church they go to, they can have it.’

Martsching said she is not worried about people taking advantage of the food pantry services.

‘If they come for food and don”t really need it, that”s their problem,’ Martsching said. ‘If they come to us asking for food, we assume they need it.’

Emergency assistance

facilities in Ames

• Mid-Iowa Community Action (MICA) (515) 956-3333, 126 S. Kellogg Ave., Suite 1, in the lower level of the Story County Human Services building.

• Bethesda Lutheran Church (515) 232-6256, 1517 Northwestern Ave.

• Calvary United Methodist Church (515) 232-6329, 1403 24th St.

• Evangelical Free Church (515) 232-2765, 2008 24th St.

• Grand Avenue Baptist Church (515) 232-8803, 612 24th St.

• Good Neighbor Emergency Assistance (515) 296-1449, 422 5th St.

• Seventh Day Adventist Church (515) 232-0472.

• Jesus” Right Hand (515) 232-3074, 110 Duff Ave.

• Meals on Wheels In Ames, call (515) 239-6730. Outside of Ames, call (515) 233-2906.

• Call for hours of operation.

— List courtesy of MICA