The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
NORTH LIBERTY — The North Liberty Community food pantry’s new $4 million facility is now open. The new 10,500 square foot building, located at 350 W. Penn Street, is nearly four times the size of the pantry’s previous facility.
Plans for a new facility developed as the pantry began to run out of space, at times storing food at nearby restaurants, while increasing service levels.
North Liberty Community Pantry Executive Director Ryan Bobst said the pantry is on pace to distribute around 750,000 pounds of food and complete 2,600 grocery deliveries by the end of the year. The increase in demand for service isn’t new. In 2023 the pantry distributed 588,000 pounds of food to people — more than twice the amount distributed in 2021.
Bobst said the pantry primarily serves residents from North Liberty and Tiffin, two of the fastest growing communities in the county.
“This space is definitely going to be a tool for us, so it'll allow us more capacity to accept more food donations … and expanding to source more food options. We’ll be able to bring more in and have more food is just going to allow us to be a source of strength and a source of support for our neighbors,” said Bobst.
New pantry amenities
The pantry serves residents from all of Johnson County except Coralville and Iowa City. If someone from those two cities visits the pantry, they are given prepackaged groceries and referred to food banks in their community. In May 2024, the pantry removed limits on the number of food items per visit.
In addition to food, the pantry also offers feminine hygiene products, diapers and toiletries.
When preparing for a new space, the team at the pantry did a “pantry crawl” to get ideas from other pantries.
“One piece that really came out of that, we have that value of everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. And we wanted families to feel like they were shopping in the grocery store,” said Bobst.
As part of the grocery store feel, the pantry features an over 500-square-foot walk-in refrigerator and freezer system.
Outside of the building, the pantry is looking to start a garden and is hoping to receive a grant for fruit trees to start an orchard. A longer term goal of the pantry is to add a green house to grow food throughout the winter.
Through a contract with Johnson County, one of the county’s social services navigators will be at the pantry twice a month for the next 10 years. The social service navigator will work to connect pantry patrons to services such as WIC or SNAP and help with general assistance needs.
The new facility also features a separate 1,000-square-foot space for a clothing closet. Bobst said the pantry can provide a free pair of socks and underwear each month to everyone they serve.The clothing closet will also have a washer and dryer to clean donated items. Last year the pantry distributed around 50,000 clothing items, Bobst said.
The new facility now also has a conference room for volunteer training and offices for pantry staff members. The building is also using solar energy, with solar panels on the roof, meant to help offset electricity costs, Bobst said.
Planting New Roots fundraising campaign
The $4 million price tag for the pantry includes the purchase of the land, construction of the building and new equipment.
Bobst said the pantry still is hoping to raise another $750,000, with the hope of using that to pay off interest payments.
“We've had such great community support. I cannot thank the community. I think it just shows the goodwill of the Johnson County that people really care about their neighbors and are passionate about helping them,” said Bobst of the fundraising campaign support.
The pantry has received $278,000 from the city of North Liberty, with $250,000 of that from federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars. The other $28,000 came as a grant in the city’s 2025 fiscal budget.
Grand opening event
The pantry will host a grand opening event at 4 p.m. on July 14 to celebrate the new facility and its 40th anniversary.
Address: 350 W. Penn St., North Liberty
Hours
Monday: Shopping 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Delivery 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Tuesday: Shopping 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday: Shopping 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Delivery 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday: Shopping 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Delivery 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
Friday: Closed
Saturday: Shopping 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Sunday: Closed
Comments: [email protected]
Get a weekly roundup of Johnson County news by signing up for my Johnson County Update newsletter.