WAFER Food Pantry

 WAFER is the largest food pantry in the area, serving all of La Crosse County and La Crescent, MN.

• We serve about 1,500 families (about 3,000 people) monthly.  Nearly 40,000 total individuals were served in 2023.
• WAFER distributes about 20,000 food packages a year.
• In 2023, 1.8 million pounds, equivalent to 1.5+ million meals, were given out.

WAFER offers a variety of programs and services in addition to food package distribution.  Such services and programs include: the Mobile Food Pantry, Senior Share, Backpack Food Assistance, and Nutrition Education. Check out our website for more information. 

As a volunteer, you will play a crucial role in serving community members who need it the most while developing team-building skills. Volunteers at WAFER contribute in the following areas:

• Warehouse: Stocking, sorting, and organizing food
• Pantry: Putting together food packages for distribution
• Distribution: Hand out food packages to patrons
• Mobile pantry: Join Tony on the bus in putting together food packages and distributing them at various locations throughout the community
• Leading programs: Do you have experience as a chef, dietitian, or other related areas? Join us in leading monthly free programs here at the facility.

Hours

Volunteers assisting during food distribution hours are welcome to join us during these times:

          Mon - Fri | 9am-12:45pm
          Mon, Tues, Thurs | 3:30pm-7:45pm

Can't make a full shift? That's okay! We offer partial shifts for busy schedules, but must commit to a minimum of 2 hours. We also have 1-2 hour volunteer shifts available on our mobile pantry, which distributes food to various areas in La Crosse County.

Volunteer hours can be either printed by WAFER staff and given directly to you OR you may choose to have your hours verified through ugetconnected.  You can choose the option that works best for you.