Westmorland food pantry to open
WESTMORLAND — The community is invited to attend the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Westmorland Community Food Pantry next week.
The food pantry is the creation of the Westmorland Stakeholders Group, which has committed itself to combating food insecurity in the community.
The stakeholders group was formed by likeminded individuals from the Westmorland Community Presbyterian Church who had long felt a desire to help improve the quality of life for less-fortunate residents in Westmorland.
“That was our focus for a while, so it’s now happening,” said Cari Augusta, group member.
The grand opening and ribbon-cutting is expected to draw supporters of the e ort, as well as representatives of the Westmorland Chamber of Commerce and elected o cials.
Once opened, the food pantry will rely on the donations of the community to help keep it operational, Augusta said.
Aside from donated food items, the food pantry had also procured additional food items from the Imperial Valley Food Bank, which provides assistance to its local partners as part of the Feeding America program.
Those items, which the nonprofit stakeholders group is authorized to purchase at 19 cents a pound, included canned chicken and tuna, staples of beans and rice, soups, pasta, spaghetti sauce, canned vegetables and fruits.
“We try to have a variety for people to cook with and lean toward healthier options,” Augusta said.
Its hours of operation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursdays and 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.
Earlier this week, representatives of the pantry and volunteers had busied themselves stocking the shelves of the pantry with about 500 pounds of food items in anticipation of the opening.
“It seems like a lot, but I think it will go real fast once we start handing it out,” Augusta said.
The newly established food pantry is one of several partner entities that procure food items from the Imperial Valley Food Bank at 19 cents a pound, said IVFB program manager Alba Sanchez.
The nominal fee is considered a handling fee, and the partner agency is required to give away the purchased food items for free, Sanchez said.
The Westmorland Community Food Pantry is located at the Westmorland Community Presbyterian Church, at the corner of Third and C streets. The grand opening will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 29.