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Volunteers ask Jasper County for building, refrigeration and reimbursement for food pantry
Summary
Volunteers with the Jasper County Hunger Free Zone told the council they lost pantry equipment, serve hundreds to thousands of families from drive-through distributions, and need a permanent building and refrigeration to qualify for additional food-bank programs.
Carolyn Smith, who identified herself as a volunteer with the Jasper County Hunger Free Zone, told the council the group's pantry lost equipment and that without a physical facility they cannot accept certain donations from the food bank that require on-site refrigeration and storage.
"We were serving over a thousand people families in Jasper County during the each month," Smith said, asking the council to help with reimbursement for supplies and to identify any vacant county building the group could use. Other speakers, including Thelma Austin and Keith Bryant, reiterated that the pantry previously offered parenting classes, cooking classes and USDA product distributions that they can no longer accept without a secure storage location.
Council staff said they have contact information and that someone will follow up with the Hunger Free Zone. Vice Chair Arzilla and others asked staff to reach out directly.
Why it matters: The group says it provides regular, volunteer-run food distributions and needs a storage facility and refrigeration to receive additional program support. Council direction to staff to follow up could lead to administrative assistance or a future agenda item for funding or space allocation.
What’s next: Staff told speakers someone will contact them in the coming days to discuss options and next steps.
