Churches team up to serve Brunswick County community through food pantry

SHALLOTTE, N.C. (WECT) - Residents in Brunswick County had the chance Sunday to learn more about how churches from across the community are working to serve families in need.

The Lords Food Pantry in Shallotte held an open house Sunday to welcome the community into its new facility and share opportunities for donations and volunteering.

“Our goal was to get people informed about what we do, some of the statistics on how many people we serve, what the trends are,” said Mike Claxton, president of the South Brunswick Interchurch Council. “We were very pleased with the turnout.”

The food pantry, run by the South Brunswick Interchurch Council, moved into its new facility at 3610 Express Drive in Shallotte last June. The bigger, more accessible facility has made it safer and easier to serve those in need.

On average, the pantry serves 80 to 100 families each week, which is more than 300 individuals. Staff said they anticipate that number to increase over the next few weeks as COVID-era assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) ends this week.

“That’s going to be a big toll on families that are already in a crunch,” Claxton said. “We know we’re going to see a lot more people.”

The pantry is open from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays and is open to anyone in need.

Copyright 2023 WECT. All rights reserved.