Emergency Food Pantry

The Emergency Food Pantry is a food distribution program whose mission is to provide referred families and individuals facing emergency situations with one week's supply of healthy food. For over 40 years, the Emergency Food Pantry has been located in the Fargo-Moorhead community to help feed the citizens of Cass and Clay counties in times of crisis, unemployment, fire, family violence, medical problems, and other difficult situations. The Pantry provides hungry families and individuals with wholesome food to tide them over during these times of emergency. We all pay the price of hunger, as the economic and social costs of malnutrition, chronic illness, unemployment, and low productivity rise. We all benefit when fewer are hungry. The idea of the Emergency Food Pantry was born in a college class and it came to fruition through the efforts of a college professor, Volunteers for Community Service, and the United Way. Ultimately, it became an independent entity relying on donations of food, dollars, and volunteer time. The Pantry has been in several locations, each one a little larger and serving more clients (see History and Facts). The newly rennovated, permanent home of the Pantry at 1101 4th Avenue North in Fargo opened on Monday, September 10, 2012 with hours of food distribution from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. A grand opening/open house was held on September 18, 2012. The new location has more space and affords greater efficiency to better serve the needs of the hungry in Cass and Clay counties.