Eastside’s Essentials Opens its Doors to the Community

ZANESVILLE, Ohio–Eastside community ministry has officially opened its Eastside’s Essentials.

The ribbon cutting was hosted Wednesday, but the center is open for visitors on Thursday.

The center has been in progress since 2019 when Executive Director Jamie Trout and her team thought of the space. Construction started in July 2023, and after four years of planning it is finally done.

Trout says Eastside Essentials is more than just a clothing bank.

“It is going to be called Eastside Essentials now because we’re going to have more than clothing. We’ll have household items, your essential items like toothpaste, laundry detergent, toilet paper, those types of things,” Trout said. “But much more organized and a lot bigger space for people to be able to come in and find what they need.”

While the facility has professional clothing for interviews and jobs, it isn’t just for clothing. Trout says Eastside Community Ministries will be able to host special projects instead of going to another place.

“That is going to free up a lot of space for us to better operate our food pantry and our other special projects like lace up for kids, tools for school and our back to school clothing project. This is just going to allow us to be able to do all of that right here at Eastside,” Trout said.

The center will be open from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday. Trout says visitors can stop in once a week and shop for their whole family.

This story was submitted by WHIZ News Intern Alison Patton.