Elkader grocery store’s fight against hunger reaches 1,000 meal milestone with record donation

ELKADER, Iowa (KCRG) — A retired Elkader doctor made the largest single donation in the history of Wilke’s Marketplace’s food bag program this week, pushing the store past 1,000 meals donated to the Clayton County Food Shelf.

The program is simple: if a customer buys a food bag, typically priced between $10 and $15, it feeds a family of four at least one meal.

Ken Zichal walked into Wilke’s Marketplace on Monday and purchased 32 food bags, a $388 purchase, after watching a KCRG-TV9 report about the program last month.

“They only had one rack and it was full, and I said, ‘Let’s start doing that!’” Zichal said.

Record purchase clears 1,000-bag mark

Zichal purchase was the largest single donation in the program’s 13-month history and pushed Wilke’s past the 1,000-bag milestone, translating to about $15,000 worth of donations, or about 5,000 pounds of food.

Store employees Lori Burns and Barbara Roberts said they were caught off guard by the gesture.

“We got teary eyed. It was hard not to cry in front of him,” Burns said. Roberts added: “Goosebumps still. Goosebumps still about it.”

“More than anything else, it’s fun. It gives you warm fuzzies that nothing else will,” Zichal said.

Wilke’s awarded Zichal a $100 gift card for the milestone purchase. He donated that back as well.

“I said, well, I really don’t need it. As you can see, I’m well fed,” Zichal said. “Let’s give that to them too.”

Burns said the moment left a mark on the staff. “I don’t know if he was a huggy kind of person, but I gave him a couple hugs, so we went with it,” she said.

Zichal said his motivation was straightforward.

“Hunger devastates everything. You can’t work. You can’t think. You can’t thrive. All you can think is how hungry you are,” he said. “If I can prevent that in some way, absolutely why not? Why wouldn’t you want to do that?”

Zichal said he hopes his donation inspires others to give. Wilke’s Marketplace said it plans to continue the food bag program, giving more customers the opportunity to donate.

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