Food pantry moves to accommodate aging population

Jan. 16--CARROLLTON -- A food pantry that has served the Carrollton School District area and Kane township for 30 years has changed locations to accommodate its aging recipients.

Carrollton Area Food Pantry had operated out of Carrollton United Methodist Church's basement since the pantry's inception. It now has started distributing food from its new location in the LifePoint Church parsonage at 703 Fourth St.

Carrollton UMC -- like many of Carrollton's churches -- was built decades ago and its older design includes steps down to the church's basement that were too steep for many of the older people in need.

"My clientele is getting older and it makes it harder to climb those steps out of the church basement," said Kathy Harms, director of the food pantry. "There was no way to push a cart or anything up the steps, so everything had to be carried out or carried in."

The search for a new location started in April. Harms said she was in talks with several places before LifePoint offered the use of its unoccupied parsonage. The pantry had to come up with insurance for the location, she said.

The pantry first started in Greene County in the 1980s, when a pastor came to Carrollton UMC and discovered there were no places offering food assistance in the county, said Harms, who has worked with the pantry from the start.

Three food pantries later were established at United Methodist churches in Greene County -- one each in Carrollton, White Hall and Greenfield.

North Greene and Greenfield eventually started food pantries separate from the churches.

The Carrollton pantry is open from 1 to 3 p.m. every Wednesday except for the last two Wednesdays of the year. The food pantry serves part of several townships in the school district, including Bluffdale, half of Linder, and Woodville.

Nine churches support the food pantry and rotate distribution duties.

Harms said those who want to use the food pantry have to verify they live within the area it serves.

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