A key food and clothing provider for more than 1,000 area families has opened the doors to its new $4 million home.
The North Liberty Community Pantry’s spacious 10,500-square-foot facility opened Monday, June 23, which quadruples the size of its old building. Executive Director Ryan Bobst told the Press-Citizen that the pantry’s new home at 350 West Penn Street helps the organization grow to meet the needs of area families.
“We were constantly finding difficulties in serving families with food and clothing,” Bobst said, referring to the old 2,500-square-foot space that featured tight, cramped refrigerator and freezer spaces. Storage was challenging and often required the pantry to collaborate with community partners to find a suitable home for the food, most of which is donated by the community.
The new facility has 550 square feet of refrigerated storage, a much larger freezer area and about 4,000 square feet of warehouse space.
Bobst expects the new pantry to serve more than 800,000 pounds of food to more than 1,200 families, a 20% increase over last year. Demand for the pantry’s delivery service is also expected to grow about 8% in the coming months, swelling to 2,700 deliveries.
Limited disruption as the pantry shifts operations
The move was years in the making.
The hard work of volunteers assured only the most minor of disruptions to the pantry’s essential food operation, Bobst said. The pantry’s old location was closed for the Juneteenth holiday, and nearly all of the food, storage and other parts of the operation began migrating throughout the weekend.
The pantry is closed on Fridays and Sundays, meaning it was only unavailable to the community for a single day.
The pantry’s Community Closet is now also housed within the new facility, a drastic change from the tight, separate space near the old building.
North Liberty pantry helps connect social services
The new North Liberty food pantry has a dedicated, private space to help residents connect with certain social services. Bobst previously estimated that more than 95% of the families served by the pantry either do not have reliable transportation, or are disabled or elderly and cannot shop, he said.
“We want to make sure residents can get access to the services they qualify for,” Bobst said.
The pantry has signed a 10-year contract with Johnson County to offer a Johnson County Social Services Navigator Specialist twice a month. The specialist will provide guidance and assistance for families looking to access supportive services.
The educational Growing Together Garden is also stationed at the pantry’s Penn Street facility. The garden teaches residents how to grow fresh produce. The plot also allows the pantry to offer homegrown peppers, tomatoes, and more.
When will the North Liberty Community Pantry be open?
The pantry’s hours remain the same. Shopping hours are 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon each day, Monday through Thursday, plus Saturday. Shopping is also available on Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The store delivers groceries three times a week, hand-delivering them between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
The Community Closet will also operate on the same shopping schedule.
North Liberty Pantry offers a grocery store-like experience
The pantry and closet operate under the “shopping choice” model, meaning registered shoppers can browse as they would at a grocery store, choosing as much free food as they need.
For Bobst, being at the head of the pantry has been an “incredibly humbling experience.”
“Being able to expand our operation and serve the growing needs of this community in this new space has been the honor of a lifetime,” Bobst said.
The North Liberty Community Pantry will host a community open house and ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. on Monday, July 14.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
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