At the onset of the pandemic, St Mark Lutheran Church and SALUD came together to fill a gap in Storm Lake's food security efforts.  Although the community was already leading the charge in fighting food insecurity on many fronts, those who were unable to get to the food pantries or food distributions (because of health or transportation issues) were going unserved. 

With the help of a number of local organizations, churches, clinics, etc., those households were identified and asked if they would like to receive a monthly food delivery.  Grants from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and a generous donation from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, allowed SALUD and St. Mark Lutheran Church of Storm Lake to create Friends With Food and partner with the Food Bank of Iowa to meet those needs. 

Every month, community volunteers come together to unload around 2 tons of food from the FBOI truck,  repack the food in bags and then deliver to folks within an approximate 20 mile radius.  Currently, approximately 70+ households in Buena Vista County receive this assistance.