Wellfleet seeks legislative permission to lease town land for food pantry building

The committee heard from Cindy Batchelder and other volunteers from the Wellfleet Food Pantry in favor of H.2310, an act authorizing the Wellfleet select board to lease town property to the pantry for construction of a permanent facility adjacent to the Wellfleet Adult Community Center.

“Passage of H.2310 will allow the food pantry to continue to serve the Wellfleet community in an improved location,” said Cindy Batchelder, a volunteer and board member, noting the pantry is a volunteer‑run 501(c)(3) that now serves roughly 215 households (about 380 people) and distributes approximately 48 tons of food annually provided by the Greater Boston Food Bank plus local donations.

Batchelder told the committee the pantry explored commercial and nonprofit options after being asked to vacate its longtime location and currently operates from a temporary trailer in a church parking lot. The select board had suggested town land adjacent to the adult community center as a site, which Batchelder described as an opportunity to create a small “community campus” combining the pantry, community gardens and Council on Aging services. She said the pantry would cover construction, operation and maintenance costs and would not require town funding.

No committee vote was taken at the hearing. Committee members asked clarifying questions about the pantry’s client demographics and financing; witnesses said the pantry serves low‑income and seasonal workers, members of the fishing community, veterans, seniors and children, and that the pantry’s operating model relies on volunteer labor and Food Bank supply.