Wellfleet food pantry seeks lease of town land for permanent home adjacent to community center

The Wellfleet Food Pantry asked the Joint Committee to report favorably on legislation (H2310) authorizing the Wellfleet select board to lease town property to the pantry so it can construct a permanent building adjacent to the Wellfleet Adult Community Center.

Cindy Batchelder, a volunteer and board member of the pantry, told the committee the pantry is a volunteer‑run 501(c)(3) operating under the Lower Cape Outreach Council. She said households served rose from 165 in 2020 to 215 in 2024 and that the pantry serves 380 individuals, more than a third of whom are seniors or children. The pantry distributes about 48 tons of food annually, supplied largely by the Greater Boston Food Bank and supplemented by local donations.

Batchelder said the pantry was asked to vacate its longtime home at the end of 2024 and has been operating from a temporary trailer in a church parking lot while it searched for permanent space. She said the town suggested building adjacent to the Adult Community Center, a location the pantry supports because it would create a community campus combining food distribution, community gardens and senior services. "The pantry is financially sound and will cover all costs of construction, operation, and maintenance of the new building at no cost to the town," she said.

Why it matters: the bill would allow a volunteer nonprofit to secure town land for a permanent facility to serve a growing number of local households; proponents said the pantry will finance construction and operations and that the location would link food access with other community services.

Committee members asked questions; no formal action was taken at the hearing.