This article is an update on the Union County CAG Food Pantry that was discussed at the October and November meetings of the Union County Commission.
At the October commission meeting, several questions arose regarding the Union County Food Pantry’s status as a nonprofit. In November, Kitty Lewis, the pantry director, addressed the commission and noted that the food pantry uses her church's 501c3 since this status is required to partner with Second Harvest.
Several commissioners questioned whether commission could legally allow the Union County CAG Pantry to use the Cedar Grove Community Building since the pantry was not an independent nonprofit. The pantry currently uses the nonprofit status of Circle Assembly of God, where Lewis is a member. CAG has enabled the pantry to participate in the discounted purchase of food through Second Harvest Food Bank and has provided several volunteers.
In a telephone interview, Lewis shared that one of the pantry volunteers is a retired accountant who has agreed to help the pantry acquire 501c3 status as a nonprofit. She stated that the pantry has already incorporated as the Union County Pantry. She and the officers are currently setting up a board of directors and processing the application for nonprofit status. She expects to have the proper documents filed and maybe even nonprofit status by the county commission meeting in January.
In October, the county commission directed Mayor Bailey to begin charging a per day rental fee of $40 for the use of community buildings by anyone not included in the building’s original purpose. In a telephone interview, Mayor Bailey related that an anonymous donor would be covering the January charge of $80 for the two days that the pantry uses the Cedar Grove Community Center. The mayor also shared that the pantry and the county could apply for some grants to set aside the rental fees and possibly some of the operating costs with the 501c3 nonprofit designation.
According to Ms. Lewis the pantry served 881 people in December, and 307 of those were seniors over 60. The numbers for December tend to be lower since patrons can usually access other food sources.
The Union County Pantry distributes food on the second and fourth Monday of each month from the Cedar Grove Community Building. Over 800 persons including about 500 seniors receive some 20,000 pounds of staples and nutritious food. Freezers store meat and other perishables and are unplugged when not in use. Volunteers package 250 bags of nonperishables before the truck arrives from Second Harvest. Then the volunteers fill the number of bags necessary to complete the day's distribution. The pantry attempts to keep an inventory to serve at least 250 to efficiently serve the patrons.
The Union County Pantry is an all-volunteer organization that has served Union County citizens since 1997. It was begun by a friend of Kitty Lewis. When Lewis's friend had to move out of state to take care of ailing parents, Kitty assumed the responsibility of director. For the last 15 years, the pantry has been based at Cedar Grove and each year provides 250,000 meals, which is two-thirds of the meals provided by Second Harvest in Union County. The pantry also partners with Food City and uses a FEMA Grant to access food for the food insecure. With a median income of $38,540, some 14.5% of Union County's population fit this category. Nearly one-fourth of Union County's children are food insecure.
The pantry also participates in a transition to work program with the Union County Sheriff’s Department to help trusted inmates who are near release to build self-esteem and acquire references for jobs. These inmates unload the truck and help with the distribution. Volunteers provide lunch and appreciation for the inmate's help.
Volunteers and donations come from individuals as well as two churches, Irwin Chapel United Methodist in Sharps Chapel and Circle Assembly of God in Knoxville.
Follow the discussion on the pantry and the policies regarding use of county properties during the live stream of the Union County Commission meeting on January 27 on Historic Union County's Facebook page and at HistoricUnionCounty.com.