New Westport Food Pantry officially opens, new van unveiled

New van unveiled during ceremony on Saturday

(WESTPORT, Ind.) – A new food pantry that serves the Westport community has officially opened. 

A ribbon cutting was held at the Westport Community Food Pantry on Saturday.

It’s located across from Westport Christian Church on Mulberry Street.

The new location replaces the former pantry which distributed over 110,000 pounds of food in 2024. 

“We’ve seen an increasing demand for food assistance over the years, and this new space will allow us to serve more people efficiently,” said Westport Christian Church associate pastor Scott Henderson. 

Officials say the new location is expected to triple the pantry’s capacity, with a larger space that can serve more people. 

The new location will also have expanded hours as it will be open on Mondays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. 

The open house also featured the unveiling of a new refrigerated van that was provided through a grant from Gleaners. 

Pastor George Willette says the church is thrilled to have the new van. 

“It represents the continued growth of our mission and our commitment to ensuring that no one in our community has to go hungry,” said Willette. 

In addition to the Gleaners grant, the pantry has received grants from the Decatur County Community Foundation. 

Those funds helped install walk-in coolers in both the old and new locations, as well as providing new signage that makes the pantry easier to find.

Henderson also thanked the Purdue Extension fund that shared food through their “Fill the Trailer” campaign at the county fair.  

Local grocery store owner Nate Sander was also praised for his help in supporting the pantry by helping Purdue Extension order food at a lower cost to utilize monetary donations.

A team of volunteers picks up food donations four times a week from local grocery stores, and additional food is obtained through the Gleaners network.

About 60 community members attended the celebration, and volunteers from Westport Christian Church provided food and drinks during the event.