Opportunities Available to Help Food Pantry With Move to Bigger Space

An organization that feeds 800 Hancock County families every month is in need of some help of its own.

The Hancock County Food Pantry currently rents about 4,000 square feet at 741 S. State St. in Greenfield. In early July, the organization purchased its very first building to call home and will relocate to the former K&R Tool Shed property at 2040 W. Main St. in Greenfield. The 7,200-square-foot building will provide much needed space with improved infrastructure required to serve clients. However, first the organization will need to complete some significant remodeling and updating to maintain food and volunteer safety.

Since starting in a small closet at Faith United Methodist Church in 1993, the Hancock County Food Pantry has moved several times before settling into the State Street rented location in 2009. The pantry has served the community for the last 30 years by providing grocery items to those in need. Clients may visit the pantry two times each month and receive about $150 to $175 of food on each visit. The pantry is a 100% volunteer, 501(c)(3) organization and is funded solely by the generous support of the community. Eighty to 100 volunteers serve each week, and it takes more than 800 volunteer hours per month to serve all the clients. The pantry currently serves 800 households each month – a record number. Inflation has caused many new families to visit the pantry and the organization is grateful to have the means to serve them. In addition to serving hundreds of families each month at its location, the pantry also stocks Greenfield-Central and Eastern Hancock school pantries and provides weekend meals for their school children in need, and also collaborates and shares food surpluses with other local organizations.

Read the Hancock County Food Pantry’s 2022 Year End Review Report

The remodel will cost about $481,000 and the pantry hopes to move into the new building by Christmas this year. While the organization is confident the community will stand behind it as it continues its mission “to secure and distribute food to the needy in an effort to alleviate hunger in Hancock County,” help is needed. Construction costs are at an all time high, the pantry is serving record numbers of clients, and food prices have significantly increased. While the pantry has cash reserves for ongoing normal operating expenses, bills for the remodeling begin accumulating in August 2023.

Here’s how to help support the capital campaign for the new-and-improved pantry:

• Send check or cash donations to P.O. Box 244, Greenfield, IN 46140. Make checks payable to: Hancock County Food Pantry
• Donate a one-time or recurring gift online at hancockcountyfoodpantry.com (online donations incur a 3% transaction fee to the pantry)
• Donate shares of stock through the pantry’s Edward Jones account. For details, contact president@hancockcountyfoodpantry.com
• Suggest any other foundations or organizations to approach for funding
• Connect with the pantry on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

All donations are tax-deductible.

The remodel will include:

• Open-sided canopy for serving clients
• New HVAC, roof, garage doors, signage
• New walk-in cooler/freezer to store food
• Electrical upgrade for entire building
• Parking lot repair/resurfacing
• New paint for walls, trim, doors, windows
• 2 new ADA-compliant restrooms

The remodel will:

• Expand storage capability for food
• Improve client experience and traffic flow
• Provide a functional, safe, and climate-controlled environment for volunteers
• Create a building ready for the next generation of clients and volunteers
   

The pantry is working with Mills General Contractors, Inc. to help bring its vision to life.

The Hancock County Food Pantry would appreciate opportunities to share its story, or better yet, offer tours of its existing and new buildings. The organization is scheduling tours of its new building (2040 W. Main St., Greenfield) on Friday afternoon from 1-6 p.m. on August 25th and September 8th and would be happy to meet with those interested then or reach out for a time more convenient.

The organization would also be happy to talk with companies about ways in which they can help the pantry and clients it serves.

Contact Liz Rusche at 317-446-6227 or liz.a.rusche@gmail.com to set up a time to talk or to schedule a visit.