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At Broadway United Methodist Church, our current practice is to donate 10 percent of our offering to a local charity, with the money going to a different organization each quarter. For the first quarter of 2026, our designated charity is Philip’s Cupboard, a nonfood pantry located on the lower level of the church open from noon to 2 p.m. Mondays and Fridays and from 4 to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays.

A longtime Broadway mission partner, the pantry offers all the basic personal hygiene products, toilet paper, diapers, adult undergarments, household cleaners, bleach, laundry detergent and garbage bags. Last year, Philip’s Cupboard served 1,340 people with a total of 3,738 family members, according to records. Its busiest month was October, when 138 people picked up supplies for 428 family members.

“The only qualifying requirement is they have to live in Pottawattamie County,” said Larry Fent, a Broadway member who has been helping out in the pantry for six or seven years. “We allow them six items, depending on how big their family is.”

Philip’s Cupboard is operated entirely by volunteers, said Amanda Smith, another Broadway volunteer. “We have 14 volunteers that run it,” she said. “I feel we’re not just connecting with the community but with other people from the church.”

Carol Haas schedules people for each shift, with regular volunteers generally working the same day each week.

Shirley Smith has taken on the task of shopping for supplies to stock the pantry. She tries to stretch the organization’s dollars as far as possible. “I buy (each item) the place where I can get it the cheapest,” she said. “I shop at Walmart, Dollar Tree and Sam’s Club, and then I watch the sales. Walmart and Dollar Tree are my two biggest places. The big (bulk) items like TP we buy at Sam’s Club.”

Shirley goes shopping for pantry supplies about every other week, with an occasional stop in-between if something is running low. “I try to buy a lot so I don’t have to shop all the time,” she said. “With Dollar Tree, I order online and they have it all ready at the store for me.”

Being a nonprofit organization helps trim the cost, Shirley said. “We have a tax-exempt card, so we don’t have to pay (sales) tax,” she said.