Partnership with Palms Theatre and reservation system aims to eliminate Mulberry Avenue backups while serving more families

MUSCATINE, Iowa—The Muscatine Mobile Food Pantry returns Tuesday, October 7, with a redesigned traffic flow that organizers say will eliminate safety concerns on Mulberry Avenue while making the process faster and less stressful for the more than 500 families expected to pick up food boxes.

Distribution will run from 1:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Muscatine Church of Christ, 3603 Mulberry Avenue—a significant expansion from previous months made possible by a commercial refrigerator donation from Weikert Appliance Sales & Service. The extended evening hours give working parents and shift workers new options for pickup times that weren’t available before.

“We want families to get the food they need without the stress of long waits or traffic backing up near the bypass,” Chris Brase explained. “These changes let us serve everyone safely and efficiently.”

Two Paths, One Goal

Guests who reserved boxes online—more than 60 percent of Tuesday’s distribution—will bypass the previous congestion point entirely. Pre-registered families should approach from the north, taking Tipton Road to Bayfield Road and then south on Mulberry Avenue to the church parking lot, where they’ll use a dedicated check-in line.

For families who haven’t pre-registered, a new partnership with the Palms Theatre creates a staging area that keeps traffic flowing. Dark blue food pantry signs along Mulberry Avenue will direct walk-up guests to the theater parking lot first, where volunteers will handle registration and send cars to the church lot in small groups as space becomes available.

“The Palms partnership solves our biggest challenge from September—cars stacking up on Mulberry near the bypass,” Marci Hallett shared. “Now everyone moves at a steady pace, and nobody is stuck waiting in dangerous traffic.”

“We want families to get the food they need without the stress of long waits or traffic backing up near the bypass.” — Chris Brase

Once inside the church parking lot, the pantry’s four-at-a-time drive-through system loads vehicles in roughly two minutes each. Volunteers have refined the process over the past two months, creating what Hallett described as smooth and dignified service.

Boxes remain available for online reservation through Monday evening, guaranteeing pickup and eliminating uncertainty. Families without internet access or those who prefer not to register online can still receive boxes on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 1:30 p.m.

Volunteers Welcome

The pantry needs volunteers tonight, Monday, starting at 5:00 p.m. to prepare boxes for Tuesday’s distribution, and tomorrow starting at 1:00 p.m. to direct traffic, greet guests, and load vehicles. With the new traffic management system in place, organizers expect volunteers will work at a steady pace without the pressure of long lines that marked earlier distributions.

“We served 512 households last month because this community comes together,” Hallett noted. “These changes will let us keep serving with care while keeping everyone safe.”

Reserve or Learn More

Families can reserve boxes, view volunteer opportunities, and find detailed pickup instructions at https://muscatinechurch.org/event/pantry-pickup-day-october-2025/. Those interested in how the extended hours became possible can read about Weikert Appliance’s refrigeration donation at https://discovermuscatine.com/weikert-appliance-donates-commercial-refrigerator-to-mobile-food-pantry/.

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  Directions for guests who have pre-reserved a box online

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  Directions for guests that have not pre-reserved a box online