Community Spotlight: The Pantry in Plain

When you first come upon the small mobile home that houses The Pantry, it looks like an unassuming old trailer. You might not think it gets much activity lodged at the end of Chapel Drive next to Plain Community Church in Plain. You would be wrong.

Nine years ago, a group of folks within Plain Community Church decided that we needed a food outreach in our community. As followers of Jesus Christ, our desire was to heed His call to love our neighbors. Through The Pantry, our goal is to provide food assistance to people in our community who find themselves in difficult circumstances, to connect surplus food with people who can utilize it, and to provide resources, product, and information about whole foods to interested people in our community.

The other thing we wanted to do was to live more in community with our fellow neighbors. We all know that our seasonal weather can isolate us and make it difficult to make ends meet. Being an outreach was a stepping off point to help bring people together. For the first few years, we were just trying to help folks know we were here, but as time went on, we grew and more folks came, and they told others about us. They came for whole foods, food assistance, and for friendship.

For the past several years, we have had the blessing of the farmers who come to Plain on Saturdays for the Farmers Market. They donate produce at the end of their time there. We have a refrigerator and freezer on our porch where produce and meat can be taken during the week, as needed. This has proven to work very well for folks, since we are not open but one day most weeks. We also have winter coats, boots etc. on the porch in the winter for people who are in need. Many people will bring the outgrown and find what works. Donations come from many people and sources, many of which appear on our porch. Thank you.

Our outreach is funded by donation. We have been very fortunate to have many organizations and businesses, as well as individuals, support us financially. We would not be able to do what we do without them. We also receive donated food provisions. 

Just this year alone, we have had donations from The Leavenworth Post Office, which included us in their yearly food drive, donating more than 75 bags of food to us.

Kahler Glen Golf Resort helped us this Thanksgiving with monetary donations, as did the Leavenworth Lions Club, Lake Wenatchee Fire & Rescue, Lake Wenatchee Info, Plain Automotive, Silvermoon Studio, Lake Wenatchee Rec. Club, and Just Plain Grocery.

We have also partnered with Just Plain Grocery and Plain Hardware for Christmas baskets. Each year, we provide Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets to families. We average 35-40 families for each holiday. 

Even after nine years, people are not always aware that we are here. We are open every Thursday from 1-to-7 p.m. We are also open the second and fourth Saturday of the month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  

This past August, a Free Nurses Clinic started, coming the first Thursday of each month, from 4-to-6 p.m. They operate through MEND’s Free Clinic and Cascade Medical Center. They can provide information and education, do blood pressure and diabetes checks, and make referrals.

Our small space is bursting at the seams. We have big dreams of where The Pantry can next reach out and grow: cooking/ nutrition classes, food preservation, community dinners, budgeting classes, gardening, etc. The list can go on.

In the meantime, we continue to be who we are, people walking alongside people. The generosity of our community shows how much we all care for and need one another.