Pantry 279 is moving to Smith Pike Plaza, after years of searching for a new location.
Executive Director Cindy Chavez said the pantry outgrew its current space at Trinity Lutheran Church years ago. The new space is 4,000 square feet, compared to the current 1,300.
“I think it's caused a lot of safety issues," Chavez said. "We don't have a lot of space. So we're constantly tripping over pallets and and each other, just anything and everything. We can't move the food as fast, we have to turn down some donations.”
She said when the pantry moves in a couple months, it will have space for a walk-in freezer. The group is fundraising for that now. The new space will also bring back indoor shopping.
"We'll be able to bring back indoor shopping again, and have just a few spaces out front where people can have food brought to them if they absolutely need to have curbside, but for the most part, it's back to indoor which is so much safer.”
Read more: Ellettsville food pantry short of food and space
She said their current space was too small to accomodate in-person shopping. But relying on curbside meant long lines of cars down 46.
Chavez said finding a landlord willing to rent to them, given the amount of people a pantry brings to an area, was difficult. They also struggled to get a general business zoning permit approved by the Monroe County government.
The move comes just in time, Chavez said. Because demand for their services has increased dramatically.
In 2019, Pantry 279 served around 3,500 people per month, and that nearly doubled by summer 2020. Demand leveled out, dipping to 5,500 in 2022. But then, emergency SNAP benefits ended this spring.
“And once that happened, numbers just shot right up higher than COVID ever thought about. And then of course high prices with food, electricity, everything that has gone up...medications. There's a lot of stuff going on right now. And the need is now much higher than COVID.”
Chavez said more than 9,000 people are now being served each month.
The organization is saving money for a walk-in freezer at its new location, between Urban Air Adventure Park and El Ranchero Restaurant.
An anonymous donor has agreed to match up to $50,000 in cash donations through the month of June for the freezer and moving costs.
