BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV) – Bellevue Food Pantry is launching a $7.2M campaign to help support it's plans for the new location which will have a client-choice model, meeting rooms, and a community garden outside.
- Bellevue Food Pantry is launching a $7.2 million campaign to support its move.
- The new location will be client choice and a community space.
- The pantry hopes to open the new location by the end of 2026.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Bellevue Food Pantry is launching a capital campaign to fund its move to a new location that will double the number of neighbors it can serve each month.
The pantry currently serves between 1,500 and 1,700 neighbors monthly from its 1,000-square-foot building, but rising demand has outgrown the space. The organization has tripled the number of neighbors it serves in just the past three years, according to Deanna Wagner, pantry manager.
"Everything has to come in through that front door, so we don't have room to get in a pallet so everything has to come in hand by hand and box by box," Wagner said.
The pantry purchased the old public library location to accommodate the growing need. The organization needs $7.2 million to transform the new building into a community space.
Aaron Bowen, executive director of the pantry, said the current facility is about the size of a studio apartment.
"We continue to see the huge number, some of the largest number we have ever had at our current pantry which is about the size of a studio apartment so to be able to come here Thursday night and see how we plan to renovate this into a community space for Bellevue and all of Sarpy County," Bowen said.
The new space will feature a client-choice model, meeting rooms where different organizations can connect neighbors to resources, and a community garden outside. Pantry leaders will present their plans to supporters Thursday.
The pantry hopes to have everything moved into the new space by the end of 2026. Neighbors interested in learning more about the campaign or project can visit bellevuepantry.org.
