The Caring & Sharing Food Pantry invites the Paulding County general public to attend the grand opening of its new building on Thursday, May 2 at 318 N. Walnut Street in Paulding. The new building opened to serve clients on April 10.
The grand opening on May 2 will include a ribbon cutting, open house and facility tour. Attendees are invited to celebrate over lunch from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at an Off the Clock event, sponsored by the Paulding Chamber of Commerce.
All attendees are encouraged to donate a shelf-stable food item at the door. Financial donations will also be accepted.
The following local businesses will provide food and refreshments for the event:
• State Bank of Paulding – Food Truck (lunchtime only)
• Smother It Good Food Made with Love (Off the Clock only)
• Grounded Coffee & Crumbs
• Nini’s Ice Cream
The pantry’s grand opening for clients runs April 10 through May 5. Clients will receive a swag bag of items, including a chicken & rice casserole kit containing ingredients donated by the First Presbyterian Church, St. Paul Lutheran, Branch Fellowship Church, Paulding Church of the Nazarene, Melrose Community Church, Paulding Exempted Village Schools staff, and other private donors.
The clients also will receive items donated by Paulding County Hospital, Stoller Honey, the Bargain Bin, Limitless and OSU Extension. Other client gifts include peanut butter and jelly from a Paulding County Hospital employee food drive; more than 175 handmade dishcloths created by Patti Stoller, Jane Buchman, Alice Lawson, Rita Diaz, Jean Bulau and Becky Schlatter; and a collection of recipes printed by the Paulding Progress.
The celebration for the new building also was funded by donations from the Paulding First Christian Church, Divine Mercy Parish and School, Gleaners Black Swamp Arbor, the Bargain Bin, Paulding Ministerial Association and private donations. Grants were provided through Thrivent Action Team projects to pay for the printing of the client swag bags by Signature Embroidery and the grand opening logo buttons by West Bend Printing.
The pantry board extends a huge thank you to all those who donated items and money, as well as to the volunteers who have organized the grand opening events.
The pantry’s board of directors, executive director, volunteers and donors began the fundraising for this building in April 2022, raising more than $600,000 in just two years. But the idea of a new building grew out of discussions with the members of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Paulding several years before that. A community committee was formed. The land was purchased. Plans were drawn. The idea became a dream, and the dream is now a reality thanks to the people of Paulding County, their generosity, commitment, enthusiasm and faith.
As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the mission of the Caring & Sharing Food Pantry is to engage the local giving community and volunteers to help serve our neighbors and work against food insecurity in Paulding County. It operates solely based on food and financial donations from the community and with the support of Feeding American and West Ohio Food Bank, of which it is a member.
For more information about the pantry, follow the Caring & Sharing Food Pantry on Facebook. To contact, the pantry call (419) 399-9562 or email pauldingfoodpantry@gmail.com.
