Woodford County food pantry reports record demand, secures grants and relaunches senior deliveries

Ashley Jackson, executive director of the Woodford County Food Pantry, told the Woodford County Fiscal Court on Monday that the pantry served more households last year and has taken steps to secure more stable funding and expand services.

Jackson said the pantry saw a record number of clients, reporting 224 drive-through clients in December and a total of 5,054 clients served in 2024. She told the court that 659 families were served across October, November and December and that the pantry recorded 280 new clients in February 2024. "We're seeing a record number of clients right now," Jackson said.

The director described recent fundraising and grant activity that she said will help the pantry stabilize supplies and expand capacity. Jackson said the pantry received a $5,000 grant from the Bluegrass Community Fund and that a volunteer-submitted grant had been awarded in December. She also said she recently completed work to restore the pantry’s federal registration and that "we just recently last Friday got approved for that," enabling the nonprofit to apply for federal funding available to 501(c)(3) organizations.

Jackson told the court the pantry is prioritizing refrigeration and freezer capacity and that a local donor, identified in remarks as Nancy, contributed $15,000 and also helped provide donated beef. The pantry budget includes about $19,000 in beef distribution costs; Jackson said she applied for a Kentucky Colonels grant to cover half that amount and expected to hear back in the spring. "I think we're about 95% sure that we're going to get that grant," she said of the Kentucky Colonels application.

Board president Lauren "Squirrel" Carl, who introduced Jackson, thanked the court for support during the leadership transition and noted wide community interest in the new executive director. Jackson credited Sharon, the pantry’s long-serving predecessor, for training and handed-off institutional knowledge.

Volunteers and local food drives were highlighted as major supports. Jackson said volunteers number 73 on paper and praised recent drives, including one at Kroger that collected 2,400 pounds and a Southside Elementary School drive that collected 6,368 pounds. "Without our volunteers I could not do the food pantry," Jackson said.

Jackson also described programmatic changes: she re-launched the pantry’s home-delivery program for seniors this month and said volunteers and board members helped restart monthly deliveries to about 18–20 seniors. She said the pantry is developing a three- to five-year strategic plan, pursuing multiple revenue streams (private donations, grants and potential earned income ideas such as a bakery), and looking to add equipment and a small vehicle to ease daily pickups.

Court clerk Jordan Coyle and other magistrates praised Jackson’s early work. Judge Executive (referred to in the meeting as "the judge") and several magistrates thanked volunteers and donors and encouraged residents to share pantry social posts and contribute.

The county fiscal court did not take any formal action on the pantry report; Jackson’s presentation was received as an informational update and the court adjourned to other business.