Marion — With reports of a sharp recent increase in demand at area food banks, the Marion City Council on Nov. 6 discussed whether the city should make a financial contribution to local food pantries and how best to deliver aid.

Council member Gage introduced the discussion, saying local pantries were already feeling increased demand heading into winter and that the state had announced a matching program for regional food-bank donations. "They fully expect that need to increase more during the already busiest time a year," Gage said, summarizing outreach he had done with pantry organizers.

City staff described two options: donate to HACAP, the regional food bank, to access the governor's matching program, or allocate funds directly to Marion pantries and school‑based pantries to target local need. Mara (staff) said HACAP stores and distributes donations from a centralized warehouse and would allocate supplies across its partner network based on regional need. "All the donations would go into their centralized warehouse location, which is intended to supply, based on need, you know, through all of their systems," Mara said.

Robin Ginther, food pantry manager at Metro Catholic Outreach in Cedar Rapids and a HACAP partner, told the council the last two weeks have seen dramatic increases. "We generally serve 150 families every week. Last week, we filled up our first day before closing, and we turned away over 200 families," Ginther said. She added that this week the pantry prepared 200 boxes and still turned away more than 100 families.

Council discussion noted recent regional actions: Cedar Rapids announced support of up to $25,000 to HACAP; Linn County allocated $80,000, and the state match could amplify local contributions. Leanne (staff) said hotel/motel tax receipts are exceeding projections and suggested that hotel/motel revenue could be a flexible source for a one‑time allocation; she reported the city has a fiscal balance and said through October the city had collected about 58% of its budget for the year and that the city previously held "over $560,000" (transcript remark).

Councilors generally expressed support for providing assistance but sought more information before committing dollars. Council asked staff to follow up with HACAP and Marion pantries, confirm whether school pantries have HACAP access, gather data on local demand, and return with options and an MOU so the council can decide an amount at a future meeting.

No formal appropriation was approved at the Nov. 6 meeting; council members suggested possible ranges (several councilors cited $10,000–$20,000 as a plausible starting point) but no final figure was set.

Speakers at the discussion encouraged maximizing the impact of any city contribution while ensuring funds or supplies reach Marion residents and school pantries.