Grants fill local food pantries' hunger for efficiency
Jul. 26—SHARON — Instead of buying food, several food pantries in Mercer County are getting funds to make their operations more efficient and to better meet an increased need in their communities.
In a brief ceremony Tuesday morning, CEO Wilma Torress and board member Tim McGonigle of the Community Action Partnership of Mercer County presented a total of $23,729 to representatives of local food pantries in the Community Food Warehouse in Sharon.
Those agencies receiving funds included Cedar Avenue Church of God, Sharon; Central Christian Church, Hermitage; The Good Shepherd Center, Greenville; Prince of Peace Center, Farrell; St. Joseph Church, Sharon; Sts. Peter and Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sharon; and Valley Baptist Church, Farrell.
The state Department of Community and Economic Development provided funding through Community Services Block Grant Cares funds, and will be used to purchase equipment the agencies may need such as refrigerators or shelving units.
"People like to see immediate results, whether it's food or clothing, they like to be able to donate and have that immediate impact," Torres said. "But donations like this can help with capacity building that these organizations need to help others."
Among those present was Rev. Terry Harrison, pastor of Valley Baptist Church, said church officials would use its funds to replace certain equipment used for their food services, such as refrigerators.
The church has hosted a "grab and go" food program for two years and an emergency food program for the past nine years. Harrison credited pantry manager Mavis Shannon Odem with starting.
The church also delivers hot meals to residents in need, includig senior citizens who may have illnesses or difficulty moving.
Harrison said the grant funds were important for local food pantries such as the church, since some items can be expensive to replace while continuing to serve people in need.
"In 45 minutes, we probably served about 100 people," Harrison said of a recent grab-and-go distribution.
Also present Tuesday morning, was Jennifer Wallace, CEO of Prince of Peace Center, who said it would use the funds for a new pallet jack to unload food from delivery trucks.
That need was recently demonstrated when the center received an ice cream donation but couldn't accept all of it, because the lack of a pallet jack meant workers had to unload the ice cream by hand.
"We couldn't unload it all before it started melting," Wallace said.
Funds would also be used to purchase a vacuum packer machine, which Wallace said could be used to purchase meats in bulk and then vacuum-seal them for storage.
Torres said the Community Action Partnership originally received the grant from in 2020, and planned to put the money toward rental assistance for local residents. That plan changed when Mercer County was awarded funds for rental assistance.
The Community Action Partnership then pivoted toward utility assistance such as water or sewer bills, but state and federal funding again stepped in to fill that need — forcing the organization to pivot its focus again.
Eventually the Community Action Partnership decided to focus on helping connect people with food, and reached out to the Community Food Warehouse to help coordinate with their network of food pantries, Torres said.
Seven food pantries responded and took up the offer to use the funds to improve efficiency. Those pantries and the Community Action Partnership then worked with the DCED to make sure the funds' use were approved, Torres said.
Aside from presenting the grant funds, Torres said Tuesday's event also allowed representatives from the different agencies to introduce themselves and network with each other and the Community Action Partnership, allowing for possible collaboration on future issues.
"It gives them a chance to learn what the other groups do and what areas they cover," Torres said.
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