Food prices, volunteer shortages force closure of Van Buren’s Farmer’s Pantry

• The Farmer’s Pantry at First Presbyterian Church in Van Buren closed March 26 after 11 years.
• Rising food prices and a decline in volunteers contributed to the closure.
• The pantry, which once served 3,800 families, will reopen every other month and for special holiday events.
• Other food pantries in Sebastian and Crawford counties remain open.
• A list of those pantries, with addresses, phone numbers and hours of operation, is included in the article.

John Starks expected a busier final day for the Farmer’s Pantry.

The food pantry at First Presbyterian Church between Main Street Van Buren and the city’s municipal building closed its doors at noon March 26 after 11 years of service.

“Maybe everybody thought we were already closed today,” Starks said with a chuckle. “It’s like that game where the message starts with one person, maybe they had a scratch on their finger, and by the time it comes back around, that person lost a finger.”

The unpredictability of food prices and an aging and dwindling volunteer base contributed to the closure.

“When I started leading the Farmer’s Pantry, eggs were $1.25 a dozen. Now, they’re over $6,” Starks said. “Everything has gotten expensive. Also, we’re not getting any younger. The youngest person helping us is 47. I’m 75, and anyone in their 50s is considered the ‘young ‘uns.’”

Starks noted that scheduling around doctor’s appointments had become the norm. “When I retired, I didn’t think I would see more doctors now than when I was in pharmaceutical sales,” he joked.

The pantry also worked with the USDA, but food availability was inconsistent. “Some days, we had enough to fill eight trucks; some days, barely one,” he said.

Starks recruited volunteers from the pantry’s clients. One volunteer walked from Fort Smith until Starks got him a bicycle, then a scooter. Another walked two miles daily, logging more than 3,200 miles of service.

At its peak, the pantry served 3,800 families, operated four days a week, and even provided breakfast and lunch on Wednesdays. Compassionate Ministries partnered with the pantry and served about 2,800 people a month.

“At first, no one wanted to eat here, but over time, this place was packed,” Starks said, gesturing to the space that could seat about 50 people. “Everyone started to get their spots and looked forward to seeing each other. When a regular guest passed away, so many people attended her service — it was overwhelming to see the community come together like that.”

Though the pantry is closing its regular operations, it will re-open every other month for special events, including Thanksgiving and Christmas distributions.

The church provided the space free of charge, and Starks acknowledged their support. “If we had to pay for this space, we would have closed long ago.”

Compassionate Ministries initially operated in a house between Van Buren and Alma, but when the owner offered to sell it, the ministry lacked the funds, leading to its closure.

“We started with just this room,” Starks recalled, “but eventually, we took over the kitchen and used three or four other rooms to store food. We also had two freezers from Compassionate Ministries, but we finished with six chest freezers and two coolers.”

Starks reminisced about past experiences, including a mishap with 60 dozen eggs.

“I saw that I could freeze them, but didn’t follow the directions properly,” he admitted with a laugh. “There have been a lot of good times here and some sad ones, too. We did what we could to help others. Some abused the system, but as they say, ‘To take care of the need, you have to feed the greed.’”

Starks emphasized that other River Valley food pantries remain available to help those in need.

[OC] = On Call

[CA] = Call Ahead

Sebastian County Food Pantries

Fort Smith

Antioch for Youth & Family

Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. [CA]

1420 N. 32nd

479.459.0669

Cavanaugh Freewill Baptist

Mon. 1 to 3 p.m., first 60 families

Sebastian County Residents Only

2825 Grinnell St.

479.646.2806

Central Christian Church [CA]

400 Waldron Rd.

479.452.1901

Cliff Terrace Assembly of God [CA]

Third Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon

3301 So. 66th St.

479.653.7357

Community Rescue

Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m., noon, 4 p.m.

Saturday, 9 a.m., noon, 4 p.m.

Sunday, 2 p.m.

310 No. F St.

479.782.1443

Community Services Clearinghouse

Mon.-Fri, 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

4022 Wheeler Ave.

479.782.5074

Courage to Change Ministries [CA]

4617 Jenny Lind Rd.

479.304.7704

Eastside Baptist [CA]

Thursday, 9 to 11 a.m.

2710 Massard Rd.

479.452.1481

Goddard United Methodist

Tues.-Thurs., 9 to 11 a.m., 1 to 3 p.m.

1922 Dodson

4793.785.1415

Grand Avenue Baptist Church [CA]

3901 Grand Ave.

479.709.9035

Harvest Time Tabernacle

Tuesday, 1 to 4 p.m.

3100 Briar Cliff Ave.

479.646.6001

House of Prayer & Praise

Second Monday, noon to 1 p.m.

4023 Mussett Road

479.461.5728

Miracle Power Tabernacle [OC]

1106 No. 34th St.

479.785.2533

Mission United Methodist Church [OC]

Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

721 No. 10th St.

479.522.1481

Our Father’s Heart Ministries

Thursday, 12-2 p.m.

4401 Windsor Dr.

4793.461.0704

River of Live [OC]

6101 Kinkead Av.

479.646.6543

Rye Hill Baptist [CA]

11512 Old HWY 71 South

479.646.1044

Salvation Army

Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri., 9 a.m. to noon

Monday, 1 to 4 p.m., food pantry only

301 No. 6th St.

479.783.6145

Southpoint Assembly of God

Third Saturday 10 a.m. – noon

7817 Holly Ave.

479.653.7431

St. James Missionary Baptist Church [CA]

Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

4225 High St.

479.782.5756

St. John’s Episcopal Church

Mon.-Fri., 8:30-9:30 a.m., 11 a.m.-noon

Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-noon, sack lunches only

Tuesday, Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., hot soup

123 No. B St.

479.782.9912

St. Paul United Methodist

First Saturday, 11:30 a.m.

479.783.5908

Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church [OC]

723 No. 8th St.

479.783.7140

Barling

First Assembly of God [OC]

108 Church St.

479.452.8982

First Baptist

Wednesday, 4 to 6 p.m.

602 Church St.

479.452.2566

Greenwood

Greenwood Nazarene Church

Wednesday, 8:30-10:30 a.m.

800 Old Excelsior Rd.

479.996.4688

Greenwood First Assembly of God

Wednesday, 10-11 a.m.

725 Park Dr.

479.996.6030

Greenwood United Methodist Church [CA, OC]

Jan.-Oct., Last Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Nov.-Dec., Third Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

10 West Denver St.

479.252.1991

Hackett

Hackett First Baptist Church [OC]

Last Saturday, 4-5 p.m. 

8410 Mt. Zion Rd.

479.683.7363

Lavaca

Lavaca First Baptist [CA]

Mon.-Thurs., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday, 8 a.m. to noon

100 N. Main St.

479.674.2293

Mansfield

First Baptist Church

Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to noon

405 E. Center St.

479.928.5440

Crawford County Food Pantries

Van Buren

First Baptist, Open Hand Ministries

Tuesday & Thursday, 5-7 p.m.

1211 E. Main St.

479.474.1271

Amazing Grace Fellowship [OC]

2020 Rena Rd.

479.651.2905

Bethlehem Freewill Baptist [OC]

3130 Pointer Trail East

479.474.3630

Cross Point Community COG [CA]

Mon.-Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

3304 Kibler Rd.

479.474.3588

Heritage United Methodist Church

Monday and Friday, 9:30 a.m. to noon

Thursday, 4 to 6 p.m.

1604 Pointer Trail

479.474.6424

Pleasant Valley Church of Christ [OC]

6020 Kibler Rd.

479.474.6206

Rena Road Church of Christ [OC]

Sunday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

100 Rena Rd.

479.430.4475

Shibley Baptist Church

Third Sunday

1136 Shibley Rd.

479.474.3904

The Current Church

Friday, 8 to 9 p.m.

414 S. 4th St.

479.922.2241

Van Buren First Assembly of God [CA]

Last Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

1014 Fayetteville Rd.

479.474.7573

Van Buren Freewill Baptist [OC]

4874 Alma Highway

479.410.1848

Alma

Alma Community Outreach

Monday, Thursday, Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon

107 Hwy 162 So.

479.414.9218

Cedarville

Cedarville First Baptist [OC]

First Saturday

10744 Hwy 59

479.474.0654

Chester

Living Water, P.C.G. [OC]

Third Tuesday, 3 to 5 p.m.

305 N. Front St.

479.632.3451

Mountainburg

First Assembly of God

Sunday, 9 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

922 Hwy 71 North

479.369.4346

Revis Hill Assembly of God [OC]

11515 Revis Hill Heights

479.369.2216

Natural Dam

Grandview Assembly of God

Third Thursday, 7 p.m.

14542 Hwy 59 North

479.929.5659