In late July I visited Mary and Beth at the Brooklyn Food Pantry. Mary founded the pantry over thirty years ago and has worked there ever since. She and Beth explained to me how things have changed over the years.

Mary: “Pre-COVID we were up to 76 families a month. And then COVID hit and everything fell off. And just now, I mean we have not reached that 76 level yet but we're getting close.”

Leah and Priyah are Grinnell natives and childhood friends. They now work with educational institutions in Chicago and Washington D.C. respectively. But they make the time to visit family back home in Grinnell whenever they can. 

Dave is a hog and soybean farmer, originally from Jasper County. I met him while at the Poweshiek County Fair, which he has been a part of for many years. 

On the morning of the 4th of July, I rode along in the 61st annual 10th Street parade with Jim White. Jim is a Grinnell native and longtime 10th Street resident. As I climbed into the passenger seat of his 1960s red Chevy convertible, he told me to get ready, “This is Americana at its best.”

Skip has lived in Montour his whole life. He is now semi-retired and raises market lambs in his spare time. However, his main time commitment is to his community. As a longtime member of the Montour Community Club, Skip has spent countless hours organizing community events that bring people together. In fact, I had just arrived following their monthly community breakfast. Furthermore, the club also takes care of city infrastructural projects, like repairing sidewalks and buildings.

Dwayne is a retired veteran and carpenter from Garwin. He now collects antiques in a building that is an antique itself. The building used to be a high-end clothing store in the early 20th century. “People as far out as Chicago would come up to watch fashion shows here.”

In early June I went to Tama’s “Touch a Truck” event. Semis, tractors, dump trucks, fire trucks, and even a helicopter were all parked in the city hall parking lot. Their owners were there as well, to share a little slice of their lives with the community. 

While touring the parking lot I happened upon Logan and his friends enjoying a break from the hot sun on a park bench. We got to talking and he told me about his life in rural Iowa.

While visiting Montezuma I met a mother watching her children play in the public library. She shared with me her experience of growing up and living in a rural town. 

“I grew up in this town, but then I moved away after I graduated high school, and then I came back almost 10 years ago. I was already married and had kids and all those things. I guess after being away and being in a bigger town, I just liked the small-town family feel of a small community. Everybody knows each other. “

Angie and Greg run Renewed Hope Furnishings, a furniture ministry out of Grinnell, Iowa, founded in 2021. Angie was a school counselor at Grinnell High School. When she heard that the mother of one of her students—who was moving out of a homeless shelter into a new home—didn’t have access to any furniture, Angie made a Facebook post asking the community for donations. She received everything she asked for in only two hours. 

In early June I attended the Grinnell library summer kick-off. I met Jody, a retired grandmother who grew up in Brooklyn Iowa and now lives in a retirement-home community in Grinnell. Her grandson was visiting from Omaha for the weekend, so she brought him to the kick-off event. 

Every Thursday, Tama has a Community Meal that is open to everyone, so that community members can meet their neighbors, catch up, and share a meal with each other. After getting my food, I sat with Garold and Sheryl, a couple from Toledo, the next town over.