WAFER Food Pantry — Local services in La Crosse

It nice if you are low on food. Sometimes there is expired food though. You can get meat. They usually give you a coupon for milk or juice, it all goes depending on the size of your household how much you get, they have some stuff for babies and toddlers. Their fresh fruits and veggies are usually no good. They have milk products. They run it sort of like a grocery store where you use a cart. You go around to the different shelves with a volunteer a they tell you by the size of your family how much you get. Sometimes they have dog and cat food but you only get that every 3 months. Once a year they let you know when you have to bring a piece of mail in to verify your address unless you move before then you have to bring your mail then. You leave your I'd with them til you bring back your cart from unloading your food. They also have gluten free food. It is always different foods each month. And they have unlimited picks on some foods. Those are different every month. You can always get 1 roll of toilet paper they also have hygiene products which seems sometimes to change every month. They have certain days and times you can go which is Mon thru Fri 10 am to noon. They also have some night hours but not sure when but it is only like 2 or 3 days out of the week. Sometimes there is a long wait and a small waiting room. There is only 1 person allowed back at a time. Older kids have to wait in the waiting room. They have kids books there and free adult books. They have lots of opportunities for people to volunteer. They also have free classes on certain days and times you can sign up for. And they give you a slip to go what they call a food fair which is held on 1 Saturday toward the end of the month from 10 am to noon. That usually has a long line which usually go's pretty quick. They also have a disabled line there. Their food changes every month. And some months you can get more some less. You need to bring reusable bags, carts, coolers, backpacks, suitcases whatever you have. Bring a decent amount. Sometimes you might get only a bag or 2 sometimes you might get 5 or 6 bags. Depends on what the food bank from Minnesota brings. They seem to always have frozen hamburger patties. They also seem to always have fruits and veggies that are sometimes no good but sometimes they are. They usually have different cookies and crackers and cereals. There is usually more then that. And bring bags at least 4 to wafer itself. You may want to bring more I bring at least 8 and I half the time fill...

I'm saddened that I have to give a low score due to the reason their here. I have been on both ends for this place. I've had to get food here and I've volunteered here. The food is the out dated items that stores cant sell, basically it's like water is the trash can and the people that come in are the dumpster eaters. It feels like our safety isn't as important health wise. Families come through for a hope of something in their tummies but the produce has mold or is squishy like lettuce and the community is expected to eat it or go hungry. Now as a volunteer, I've seen the good they do and the hard work to prep the place before it opens. However I had a girl come through admitting that she worked there and when nice foods and toiletries came through, like sometimes Victoria secret perfume, that ALL STAFF would take it and hide it in the back for themselves and take it home. The manager that ran the place was VERY rude to me and tried to get me in trouble with my instructor since I was doing this for my program. I was extremely disappointed in how she handled it and the information I learned that staff would take nice foods and items for themselves instead of letting the people who cant normally afford to buy it can enjoy it for once. I really hope things change there because the community needs...

I came here and they stated they couldnt help me because the people who lived at my address beforehand had fraudulent activities on their account. They wouldnt even let me get a morsel or crumble of food. I asked the receptionist to start a new account for me and she absolutely refused, I went during night shift hours and I've went more than once to try and rectify the situation and i even emailed the head director who stated i should just go in and try to start a new account (knowing that that is impossible because the workers refused that notion). These people claim to be there to help families in need but they didnt even try to help. I begged to be able to just grab a small amount of any kind of food, bread or can good or anything, but alas my attempts were met with no avail. Pushing me out the door and making me out to be a criminal because the account registered under my address.. if I could rate you 0 stars I would. Theres a special place for people who go OUT OF THEIR WAY TO MAKE LIFE HARDER FOR PEOPLE WHO...