Food pantry hits the road; food warehouse takes over Loaves and Fishes

Aug. 18—MERCER — The food pantry that covers the Mercer area has closed its doors but continues to serve residents through a new setup.

Loaves and Fishes, a nonprofit that was operating out of a property in Coolspring Township, has officially been dissolved, said Sandra Probst, who served as director and ran the organization with her husband, William.

When it became clear that a new location and director were unlikely to materialize, Rebecca Page, executive director of the Community Food Warehouse of Mercer County, suggested the organization's mobile food pantry.

The food warehouse has since taken over, bringing the mobile pantry to Mercer borough once a month.

"You really need to have a pantry right there, in or near town," Probst said.

She's disappointed that she wasn't able to find a new director to take over following an announcement in January that she and her husband would be stepping down to focus on their health, but she's glad that residents can still access food pantry services.

The mobile pantry parks at Mercer United Methodist Church, 250 E. Butler St., Mercer, from noon to 2 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month.

Residents visiting the mobile pantry for the first time will have to fill out an eligibility application.

The first mobile food pantry in Mercer was held July 6, when the Probsts were on hand to help out.

Distribution is similar to what residents experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic: the food is boxed, and contact is limited.

It is going well so far. When Loaves and Fishes closed, it was serving 36 households. That number almost reached 100 households soon after the mobile pantry first came to town.

"You can see already that's more of a benefit," Probst said of the new location.

The food warehouse was already providing food to Loaves and Fishes, which got its start in 1982 as a ministry of Bethany Presbyterian Church in Mercer, so the transition wasn't too complicated. The pantry eventually separated from the church.

Residents can expect the same offerings that they would find in a brick-and-mortar food pantry, like produce, meat and non-perishables, said Sarah Worthington, development manager for food warehouse, which is based in Sharon.

"And we do find people travel for these," she said.

The warehouse's mobile food pantry program evolved during the pandemic — including "pop up" food distributions — and they're becoming more common for rural and underserved areas, Worthington said.

The mobile food pantry visits two other parts of Mercer County: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the second Thursday of the month at Fredonia United Methodist Church, 12 Liberty St., Fredonia; and 1 to 3 p.m. the third Friday at Charleston United Methodist Church, 1169 Greenfield Road, Hermitage.

The mobile pantries are run by volunteers; some of the Mercer volunteers dedicated their time to Loaves and Fishes.

"They're able to continue their mission," Worthington said.

More volunteers are always needed to help distribute the food on the road and to package the food at the warehouse in Sharon.

The Probsts, who volunteered with Loaves and Fishes for about 20 years, will miss interacting with the local families and volunteers on a regular basis, but they know things are in good hands.

They have since donated Loaves and Fishes equipment like freezers, refrigerators and shelving to local organizations and churches.

The remaining funds were given to the food warehouse to help support the mobile food pantry program.

For more information about the mobile food pantry program run by the Community Food Warehouse of Mercer County or to volunteer, visit foodwarehouse.org or call 724-981-0353.