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Fishes and Loaves Gets a Facelift
Written By: Larry Morris President, Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry | Issue: November 2024 | Photograph By: Mary Gilian
Fishes & Loaves, the food pantry for Southern Jackson County, has undergone a much-needed expansion of its facility and services.
Bonnie Grossman and Larry Morris
Due to a failing floor and the need to have a roof over our walkway, we embarked on an addition and remodeling of our current facility. We entered a contract with Lehotsky & Sons Builders in Cashiers to do the renovation and addition.
We moved out of our facility and into the old thrift store. The Cashiers Community Council allowed us to use their facility from January through August for free to help support our efforts to provide food to our neighbors in Jackson and adjacent counties.
The overall cost of the project was $280,000, which includes removing and replacing the conventional wood floor with a solid concrete floor. We replaced the heating and cooling system with mini splits, replaced the lighting with LED lighting, removed and replaced the front porch and handicap ramp using TREX, added a cover over the walkway and ramp, added additional drainage, added additional exterior lighting, and repainted the building.
We also added about 12 feet to the building and replaced the walk-in freezer and cooler. We received grants for about a 1/3 of the cost but we had money that we have saved over the years, which allowed us to pay for this renovation.
Vince Jack
We have also received contributions which have almost paid for all the renovations.
During this time, we prepared for a major change in the way we distribute food.
We moved from a prepared box of food items to a grocery store set up where our neighbors selected the items that they wanted. The inside of our pantry was redesigned with new shelving and more open to allow neighbors to use grocery carts to move about the facility and pick those food items that best fit their family’s needs.
Jim King
With change comes new challenges. Learning how to help our neighbors select as well as setting up the pantry for the best flow of people. We have been reopened since mid-August and I am proud to say that we have set up a beautiful and welcoming facility. Every week we improve on our process.
Our current challenge is that our Food Bank, located in Swannanoa, was destroyed and they have had to relocated and rebuild their supplies to help the 16 counties they serve through 200 pantries. We encourage the community to help Manna Food Bank financially to get back on their feet and once that happens, we will also benefit from those donations.
