After four years, a local nonprofit is describing miracles it’s seen while feeding the hungry
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IDAHO FALLS — A local woman who helps to cook free meals for those dealing with homelessness and food insecurity says she’s seen miracles in “God’s Kitchen.”
On Tuesday, the People in Need Coalition celebrated its fourth year in the community, and organizers are reflecting on the people they’ve fed and those who helped them do it.
Bonnie Champagne, one of the founders of the People in Need Coalition, says the no-profit was formed during the COVID-19 pandemic after EastIdahoNews.com reported the Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen feared it would need to shut down to keep the public safe.
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“There was a story on East Idaho News that the soup kitchen might have to close because of COVID,” says Champagne. “We were like … ‘That cannot happen.'”
Champagne says she contacted a friend, Pastor Dawn Marie Turner at the First Christian Church in Idaho Falls, and they had identical mindsets — they would not let people go hungry, especially during a pandemic.
“We decided we cannot have no place for people to eat,” said Champagne. “Dawn said, ‘You can use the church!’ She said, ‘I don’t like an empty church. I like it to be busy.'”
Since then, the People in Need Coalition has been serving free, homemade “Grab & Go” meals straight from the church kitchen on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Volunteers and donations from the public completely operate the coalition.
Champagne says even the smallest donation can provide an entire meal for hundreds of people. She remembers one day specifically when many small donations turned out to be just what was needed.
“One day, we had a little old lady come in; she was in her 80s. She said, ‘I’m sorry, this isn’t much, but I want to help out.’ She brought a pound of hamburger,” says Champagne. “Five minutes later, another little old lady came in and said, ‘Sorry this isn’t much, but I want to donate hamburger,’ she had 2 pounds of hamburger. By the end of the day, we received enough donations of hamburgers to make a hamburger meal.”
According to Champagne, these efforts are only possible with a few local businesses that have provided necessary food donations, cutlery, pet food, and much more to help people — and their pets — in need.
Places like the Grocery Outlet, Happyville Farms, and The Honey Baked Ham Company have donated groceries, produce, beverages and anything else they can spare to make sure the organization can continue providing for those in need.
This year has been the coalition’s busiest year to date. As of September 2024, the nonprofit has already served 44,010 free meals to the public and given away coats, blankets, and nearly anything else people need – sometimes with money from their own pockets.
“Homeless people will pop in and ask, ‘Do you have a sleep mat?’ No, I don’t, but let me hook you up,” says Champagne.
Much of the food insecurity epidemic comes from the cost of living skyrocketing since the pandemic.
Bonnie’s husband, David Champagne, who also volunteers daily, says he has seen people with full-time jobs still unable to afford even a small apartment.
“If you work at Subway making $11 an hour, and your rent is $1,400 a month, that doesn’t leave you much left for food,” says David.
Champagne says it’s important that everyone feels welcome to a warm meal and notes that they see all kinds of people, the majority being Caucasians between the ages of 36 and 54 who are struggling to get on their feet while trying to find well-paying jobs.
Many of the patrons are also older and often struggle between paying for food and paying for medicine.
“The other thing is seniors. Do I buy food, or do I pay for my prescription?” says Champagne. “One time, one of our regular people didn’t come, so (a volunteer) went out to track her down, and she was very, very injured. She had osteoporosis, and her spine gave out and she was in the hospital. So we sent a card and quilts, and she said that meant the most to her.”
Champagne says the cold months are the hardest, as volunteers watch hundreds of people struggling to find shelter, work and food flock to their kitchen in desperate need of a warm meal.
“This is not a place you want to be homeless. It’s cold even in the summer. At night, it’s cold,” says Champagne. “If you get kicked out of an apartment, you can’t rent another one in this city. No one will rent to you. If your landlord sold out to someone in California, and your rent was $600, and now it’s $1,500. You can’t make it.”
Champagne often imagines the worst-case scenario: if someone shows up and the organization has run out of food. But she says volunteers have always found a way.
“This is God’s Kitchen. We say it over and over again, but it’s not a joke,” says Champagne. “We ran out of food one day, and a family pulled in. And we’re like, ‘Oh no, we’re out of food! We’ve got to wrestle something up!’ And I turned around, and I said, ‘What’s this?’ And it was a family meal sitting there.”
If you would like to volunteer with or donate to the People in Need Coalition, Champagne suggests visiting during the grab-to-go meal times on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
It is at the First Christian Church at 1800 12th Street in Idaho Falls. You can also reach the People in Need Coalition by calling (208) 351-7604.
Learn more by visiting its Facebook page.