CLAIBORNE COUNTY, Tenn. — A food pantry that served the community for decades is closed in Claiborne County after one of its organizers said it lost its location.
Jim Wright is on the board of directors of Clairborne Hunger Ministry Pantry and said that for over 30 years, the food pantry has served the community. He said it lost its location up to five times in the past and has reopened each time after that.
"So, it's just happened to us again. And it's happened without much notice this time," he said. "So, we've had to close the pantry for the first time on a Wednesday. We've been continuously operating every Wednesday for 30 years, until this past Wednesday."
He said the food pantry needs at least 1,000 square feet to be able to serve people. Around 150 families went to the food pantry each week.
"This past Wednesday, they had no place to go since we were closed. We, hopefully, will soon get back open so they'll have a place for them to come to for food assistance," said Wright. "There's a lot of support in Claiborne County for this ministry, but not enough to enable them to be self-sustaining."
Clyde Vincent, a volunteer for the food pantry, said it started serving the community in 1992. It distributes food every Wednesday from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. He said they have looked at other buildings throughout the county for a place to distribute food, but haven't gotten a lot of responses.
"A lot of people really want to sell their places and are not willing to donate or rent them out," said Vincent. "We have funds to pay utilities. Ideally, we have limited funds for rent. So, that's why the place we've been using was donated to us."
He said the food pantry usually operates on donations from churches and businesses, along with support from FISH Hospitality Pantries and the Second Harvest Food Bank.
