Last year, we surveyed over 600 Storehouse clients and found that transportation was among the biggest barriers hungry families faced in accessing food. As a result, the first Storehouse Mobile Neighborhood Pantry was born.
In partnership with the Sandia Foundation, the first Storehouse Mobile Neighborhood Pantry kicked off in November 2016. The site was selected based on community poverty level and needs, as well as information from the Storehouse database on the addresses of current recipients. Held at the Westside Community Center on the first Saturday in November, it was a huge success. Over 150 adults, families, and children shopped for food vital to their health and well-being.
The Storehouse continues to partner with Sandia Foundation to offer a mobile pantry the first Saturday of each month at the Westside Community Center (250 Isleta Blvd SW, Albuquerque, NM 87105). The Storehouse Mobile Neighborhood Pantry helps us reach people in their own neighborhood and lessens the transportation troubles many of our clients face.
Storehouse Mobile volunteers ready to serve our customers.
Each mobile pantry is able to provide 150-200 people with 26-30 meals per person each month. Focused on health and nutrition, meals are well-balanced, with 30% comprised of fresh fruits and vegetables. Our Mobile Pantry is set up like a pop-up farmer’s market and operates on a client-choice model, which is a national best practice for food distribution. This helps eliminate food waste and empowers clients to make their own food choices. This is an important aspect when you consider chronic diseases like heart disease or diabetes, not to mention food allergies.
On days when the Storehouse team takes the Mobile Pantry out to another community location, our fixed pantry site on Broadway is closed. If you are volunteering with the Storehouse or receiving food, please make sure to check for updates including our pantry calendar, for both the fixed pantry and mobile sites, at www.TheStorehouseABQ.org or on our Facebook page.
An additional two mobile pantry locations are expected to begin operation in 2017. Even more locations could be added through the kindness of supporters like you.
If you or your organization is interested in sponsoring a Storehouse Mobile Neighborhood Pantry, please contact Lisa Spencer at (505) 341-2000 or LCSpencer@StorehouseNM.org.
If you’d like to volunteer, at a Mobile Pantry near you or at our fixed location, contact CarrieAnn Maes at (505) 842-6491 or at CMaes@StorehouseNM.org.
Happy customers at the Storehouse Mobile Neighborhood Pantry held at the Westside Community Center.