Lincoln, Neb. — Volunteers at Center for People are helping prepare its weekly food pantry as the Lincoln nonprofit continues to see high demand for its services.
The pantry distributes food one day a week, on Tuesdays, but serves thousands of people during that single day.
“We’re seeing around 2,500 to nearly 3,000 individuals that are served each week, just on one Tuesday. So that’s anywhere from 750 to 1,000 households,” Volunteer Engagement Manager Stephanie Vadnais said.
Those numbers come amid a broader increase in demand. In the first six months of 2026, Center for People reported providing support more than 66,000 times, more than double the roughly 30,000 reported during all of 2025.
Longtime volunteer Don Weber said the organization has also changed how it handles that demand.
“We’ve gone from having the pantry open four days a week to just one day for a longer time period, but we’re serving more people than we were even when we were doing four days,” Weber said.
Weber and his wife have volunteered regularly at Center for People for nearly three years. He said new people continue to come through each week as families face pressure from a range of expenses.
Vadnais said rising costs are contributing to the need.
“We’re seeing increases in rent, increases in groceries, increases in gas. It’s hard right now,” Vadnais said. “As well as the job market, it’s hard to get a job, it’s hard to get a raise, it’s just a difficult time for a lot of people.”
Food is only one of the services available through Center for People. The nonprofit also connects people with diapers, English-language classes, and job and education programs.
For volunteers like Ben Bentzinger, helping prepare the pantry is also a way to show people using those services that their community cares.
“It seems like a very basic thing that we take for granted, but to come through this service and then to see people that are willing to put in time to volunteer, to offer food, to offer services, I think it’s really important just to show compassion in that way,” Bentzinger said.
Center for People says it currently has the resources to meet the need, with volunteers continuing to play an important role in helping the organization serve the community.
