Mendota food pantry set for groundbreaking of new home

A new home will be coming for the Mendota Area Christian Food Pantry.

The organization will be leaving its current building, which it has had for 30 years of its 33-year history, in the next few months. Executive Director Tracy Cooper said the current agreement with the building owner to rent the space to the food pantry will be coming to an end.

A groundbreaking will be conducted 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 10, at 710 Sixth Ave. in Mendota for a new food pantry. The 3,500 square foot building will feature handicapped-accessible parking, entrances and an awning to loading and unloading of vehicles. Over the last two years the pantry has served more than 900 families with food donations. Cooper said the food pantry will be hosting a number of fundraisers in an effort to raise the estimated $375,000 needed for the new building.

“Eventually we would like to have a walk-in freezer” Cooper said, “but for the time being we will be using our 17 freezers.”

H&H Builders will be starting in late September on the construction project, with completion projected to take three months.

Fundraising efforts include a 50/50 drawing, a Sip-N-Snack Chicken event and area churches will be hosting a benefit concert.