The Salem Ministerial Alliance Food Pantry is relocating. The last distribution took place at the Salem Community Activity Center on Thursday.
Food Pantry Coordinator, Carol Ann Short, announced that the new home will be at Grace United Methodist Church.
“It’s changing from a drive-thru to an open setting. People will enter through the front door, check in, and then we’ll move to the old dining hall downstairs,” she explained. “In the dining hall, we’ll have tables and chairs, and we’ll even serve coffee. This setting will help us share community resources and understand what people need. There will also be a prayer station and a small area for thrift store items, like clothing and small appliances.”
Short highlighted that, unlike before, items won’t be pre-packed. “Now, visitors can choose the foods they want. They can pick out what their families will actually eat. This way, if someone doesn’t want lima beans, they won’t have to take them,” she said. Many participants expressed excitement about having the choice to select their own food.
The pantry will have a soft opening during March, offering specific times for those with vouchers from local churches. Starting in April, they will operate every Monday from 8 to 10 a.m. and 4 to 6:30 p.m. Plans are also in place to be open on the first Saturday of each month.
A plaque of appreciation was presented to the Salem Community Center for hosting the food pantry since the mid-1980s. Community Center Executive Director, Marci Auvil, expressed gratitude for the pantry’s service to Salem. “We are thankful for what they’ve done here and wish them the best in their new location. It seems they’ll have more space and services to offer,” she said.
Auvil noted that the rooms previously used by the pantry have already been reserved for other community needs. One room will serve the Salem Emergency Management Agency for disaster preparedness, while the other will be used by the quilt guild for storage.
Check out this related article: Discover the Surprising Secret Ingredient in My Mom’s Oatmeal Cookies: A Dash of Aggression!
Source link