A food and clothing asset for thousands of families in Johnson County recently celebrated its 40th birthday in its new, spacious home.
Volunteers, donors and leaders of the North Liberty Community Pantry officially cut the ribbon on its recently opened 10,500-square-foot home on Monday, July 14. Area leaders referenced the pantry’s growing impact as they celebrated four decades.
Executive Director Ryan Bobst said the new facility was “the result of the collective efforts of hundreds of volunteers, donors and community partners whose support, generosity and belief in our mission have made this vision a reality.”
Many of the pantry’s largest donors contributed thousands to the cause, according to sheets posted around the building. More than 150 people stopped by to watch the ceremony and get a look inside the space.
A fast-growing food pantry
The North Liberty Community Pantry began as an outreach ministry of First United Methodist Church in 1985. It served a small group of friends and neighbors for nearly two decades.
The pantry expanded in 2004. By 2013, the city had grown, and the pantry needed a permanent home, which it found on the west side of town, near the church. Demand — and donations — continued to grow, pushing the pantry to capacity.
The new home provides a spacious warehouse, expanded freezer storage and refrigeration, and for the first time, dedicated space for community services.
Serving the broader community
Pantry Board Chair Samantha Fordyce said the new building allows for the pantry and clothing closet, which opened in 2021, to be housed under the same roof. The pantry served more than 610,000 meals and handed out over 800,000 clothing items in 2024, Fordyce said.
Staff handed out more than 17,000 meals in the new pantry’s first week in June, a 44% increase during the same week in the previous year. The new facility provides more space for everyone, Fordyce said, from the volunteers to the families that rely on it for their food and clothing.
Ellie Moore, the vice president of community impact and outreach for the Community Foundation of Johnson County, said the ribbon-cutting was the culmination of “years of vision, hard work and partnership.”
“What started as a grassroots effort to provide food to neighbors in need has grown into a thriving, welcoming and essential resource for thousands in our community,” Moore said.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: The North Liberty Community Pantry celebrates milestone with ribbon-cutting, open house
Reporting by Ryan Hansen, Iowa City Press-Citizen / Iowa City Press-Citizen
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
