Food pantry searches for home

Community lifeline at risk

A fire devastated the Blessed Hope Food Pantry in Newberry, but supporters are hopeful the organization can recover and continue offering assistance to area residents in need.

Blessed Hope Food Pantry continues searching for a new location as Newberry continues to struggle over the loss of this community lifeline.

The man accused of setting fire to the original pantry, 27-year-old Antonie Felipe, has been arrested.  But that is small consolation to the organization that must find a new location by the end of July.  Facing the loss of support the community has come to know and depend upon, Evelyn McKoy, 73, a founder and current head of the Blessed Hope Food Pantry, searched for words to express how important the pantry was to the residents of Newberry.

“I can’t even describe what Blessed Hope did for this community,” McKoy said. “One match and a can of lighter fluid destroyed the lives of so many people.”

Despite being burned down with an estimated $10,000 in property damage, the pantry has managed to remain open, but tougher times seem to be inevitable.

The pantry is now without adequate funds to operate and a new location must be found by July 31, or the pantry could be forced to close their doors permanently

Newberry Mayor Bill Conrad said it is important for the city of Newberry to come together and save this essential community resource.

“When all those people who needed something and were down on their luck, we could always say, ‘go to Blessed Hope,’” Conrad said.

The City of Newberry is looking for a new location within the city limits for the pantry to set up shop. With the approaching deadline, even a temporary location would be beneficial in order to give supporters more time to find an acceptable location.

At a support group meeting held June 16 at the Newberry Municipal Building, a number of residents expressed their concerns stating there must be at least one person in the community that could help to keep the pantry going until it could get its feet on the ground.

With 1,000 - 1,200 individuals served each month by Blessed Hope Food Pantry, residents say it would be a devastating loss if the pantry is forced to close. In addition to Newberry area residents, others helped come from Hawthorne, Archer, Trenton and High Springs. Community-wide support is strong, as is the belief that the current situation may be the incentive to start the process of a new beginning.

“I personally, as an individual, want to help the Blessed Hope Food Pantry. It’s a wonderful service that’s provided,” Conrad said. “These ladies do great work feeding thousands of people.”

In order to keep the pantry operating, there are a number of expenses that must be paid, including utilities, pest control, paper bags, office supplies, food purchased for the food pantry, materials for records, an alarm system and the cost of purchased food, all of which totals nearly $1,500 per month.

The organization says the ideal long-term location for the food pantry would be 500 – 1,000 square feet of climate controlled space on 1- 1/2 acres in the Newberry area. Blessed Hope Food Pantry is certain to be a topic of discussion at the June 27 Newberry City Commission meeting, and residents are encouraged to offer suggestions or donations to assist the organization.

Donations for the pantry can also be mailed to Evelyn McKoy at P.O. Box 722, Newberry, FL 32669 or deposited directly at Capital City Bank in Newberry.

“I’m just hoping the people that can help, have the concern and love for the less fortunate,” McKoy said.