LOVELAND, Ohio — Food pantries around the Tri-State are seeing more and more people coming to them for help. LIFE Food Pantry in Loveland is no different.
Executive Director Linda Bergholtz said people who have never needed assistance before — in a community many might not associate with food insecurity — are using the pantry.
“Loveland is a very affluent community but there are pockets of need in the area that people simply don’t see," she said.
One of the reasons for that increased need, she said, is inflation.
“Grocery store prices keep going up, people’s salaries ... their income doesn’t," Bergholtz said.
In 2022, the pantry served 3,161 households. Last year, that number jumped to 5,151. So far this year, they've served 2,863 households.
As the demand rises, the pantry is facing a challenge: space.
The current location is about 1,400 square feet and it's clear as soon as you walk in the door there's not a lot of room.
“We need more freezers … we need more refrigerators and we don’t have a place to put them,” Bergholtz said.
LIFE Food Pantry started in Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, but about three years ago it said it outgrew that space. Now, Bergholtz and other leaders decided that another relocation is the solution to this latest challenge.
The new location is a few doors down, but Bergholtz said it's triple the size of the current space.
“We’ll be able to provide more fresh products, more meats and dairy and produce,” she said.
Terri Carter is a longtime volunteer at the pantry and she knows the move will help to meet the needs of these Loveland residents because she sees every day the impact they have in a smaller space.
“To be able to make someone’s life a little easier and to make hear them laugh and just to add some levity and at the same time know they don’t have to worry about food, that just means everything," she said.
Because, to Carter and Bergholtz, those who come to LIFE Food Pantry for help are family.
They said to make this solution a reality, the pantry needs some help. They've started an Amazon Wishlist to get the shelves, tables and other items needed to get the new location up and running. You can find that wishlist here.
