Local food pantry hopes new hours will help more in need

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- A local food pantry will soon have a schedule change in hopes to to help even more people.

Starting tomorrow, the South Zanesville United Methodist Church Food Pantry will now open its doors on the fourth Thursday of every month from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will be closed on the fourth Friday of every month to stock more food. Director and coordinator, Conrad Wilkins, said this change is to help the people who can’t come to the pantry during its normal hours and for the increased demand heading into the summer months.

“The people we’re trying to reach with this are out there, some of them have job, some of them two and three jobs and they can’t get to us,” Wilkins said, “there’s more people out there that they open the cupboard and there’s no food and we’d like to help that just a little bit and see what we can do.”

Wilkins said they have become the largest emergency food pantry in Muskingum County and knows the new hours will be hard work but will be worth it, and he is proud that the pantry has become a leader in helping so many people.

“It’s going to expand the demand on us but that’s fine, we’re ready to work,” Wilkins said. “It’s been a goal of ours uh we had some changes a few years ago and as we sat down as a new group of volunteers one of the things we wanted to do is continue where we had been and that’s be a leader.”

Wilkins said those in need of food can call 211 to get easy help and information about the closest pantry to them.