The Pantry Celebrates Relocation & Renovation

The Pantry Director, Frank Smith, volunteers, family, friends, and Chamber representatives celebrated the recent opening of their new location by holding a DC Chamber Ribbon Cutting on May 10th. The Pantry is now located at 9633-A Highway 5 in Douglasville.
The Pantry began nine years ago when a local food ministry decided they were changing the direction of their service.  They offered the ministry to Pastor Dave Divine and he accepted.  The Pantry was created in 2007 and served eight families.  Out of those humble beginnings, The Pantry quickly blossomed into the loving food pantry that it is today.  It was decided early on that the focus would never be on judging people but, on loving them.

Over the years The Pantry grew to serving thousands of families per year. Last year, The Atlanta Community Food Bank encouraged the organization to apply for a grant so they could purchase a refrigerated truck.  The grant was approved, and they are now able to pick up thousands of pounds of free food from eight local stores in the community. On average, The Pantry has volunteers from 45 churches throughout the community each Saturday.

Frank commented on how local businesses have helped provide equipment and other necessities for The Pantry. “We are grateful for the support of local businesses including The Church at Chapel Hill, LifeTools, Publix, DeNyse Companies for their generous gift of signage, Robbie Robinson for the donation of a walk in freezer, and Dependable Services for volunteering to install the freezer. We were also blessed by Eagle Scout candidate, Jeremy Plattel for the labor of love as he constructed the raised beds for our first community garden.“

Douglas County Commissioner Chairman Tom Worthan commented, “it is great to be a part of a community that cares, and we appreciate all The Pantry does for Douglas County.”

DC Chamber President and CEO, Kali Boatright, congratulated Frank, “we appreciate all you have done and will continue to do for the community of Douglas County, and we look forward to supporting and promoting The Pantry for many years to come.”

Find The Pantry on Facebook, and Twitter. For more information about The Pantry or how to volunteer, contact them at 770.217.0729 or visit the website, www.thepantrydc.com.