About the pantry

Our Story

In 1989, the Winchester Area Ministerial Association formed a coalition to help with a food closet located in the Community and Family Services building. At the time, most Winchester Churches had their own pantries located in their buildings. This was an effort to organize and combine resources and personnel to meet the growing need in the community. In June of 1989 the Winchester Area Churches and Community Food Pantry opened at the CFS office, staffed by volunteers from various churches in addition to members from the community and backed by the Winchester Area Ministerial Association. The pantry was supported by donations, financial and material, from the churches in the community and community organizations. The Friends Church, Presbyterian Church, Methodist Church and Main Street Christian Church, and East Street Congregational Church were the first churches to participate in this combined effort.

The Winchester Area Churches and Community Food Pantry moved to the Center for Family Opportunities in 2003 and the pantry moved into a separate space on the ground floor, gaining about 50% more space. Waiting room for the pantry is an open space in the entry of the CFS building on ground level. The pantry has a small room for interviews and a room accessible to the outside for pickups and deliveries with shelving for food.

Up until April 1, 2011 the pantry was managed by Marge Ketner and four volunteers. The Food Pantry was open from 10-12 noon and 1-3 PM on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of each week. Marge Ketner reported in 2009 the Winchester Area Community and Churches Food Pantry served 2,696 families (7,184 individuals) from Randolph County, an increase of 338 families (1,318 individuals) from 2008. The community of Winchester was fortunate to have Marge Ketner as the manager of the Food Pantry. Over the years, she has volunteered uncountable hours as well as vehicles and gasoline to stock and care for the food pantry. Marge has been the “face” of the food pantry for years and her presence has been invaluable.

The churches of Winchester have collected food on a weekly or monthly basis for the pantry since 1989 in addition to giving thousands of dollars each year to the pantry. Other organizations also have food drives for the pantry. This helps greatly with supplying the pantry, but there was still a need to shop daily at local grocery stores to keep the pantry stocked for the number of clients who use the pantry on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each week. Food received and purchased from Second Harvest is limited by space available at the pantry.

In December of 2010 under guidelines established by the county council that advises CFS a governing and advising committee was established and made functional over the food pantry. In March of 2011, Marge Ketner announced her last day at the pantry would be March 31, 2011. The Governing and Advisory Committee took over the daily operations on that day.

In October of 2011 the pantry filed for and was approved as a 501(c)3 not for profit charity and in January of 2012 broke ground for a new, energy efficient, environmentally green building to house the pantry. The building is called the Shalom Center in recognition of the “Year of Shalom” held by the Winchester Area Ministerial Association in 2002. The pantry moved into the Shalom Center in November of 2014 and now has more hours, 60+ volunteers, spends less money on more food and has feed more people in Randolph County. Community and Churches participation and support has increased greatly with communication to over 150 churches, individuals, and organizations each month.