No. 3 Railroad Street in Arnoldsville, owned by Mary Nouri, facilitates a Little Front Porch Pantry. There’s an ongoing need to keep it stocked.
“The need is pretty desperate” for food donations, said Mary Sue Brewer, a facilitator of the food pantry.
Brewer has lived in the county since 1977. As she remembers it, No. 3 Railroad Street used to function as a country store, and Nouri has since turned it into a community center.
The food pantry is on the front porch and is open with no supervision.
“People can come and leave things there and come take what they need,” Brewer said. “They can do both. And that is what we see happening.”
According to the 2018 U.S. Census Bureau, the food insecurity rate in Oglethorpe County in 2018 was 12.6% and 14.6% of the households in Oglethorpe County received food stamps. As of 2021, 13.4% of Oglethorpe County residents live below the poverty level.
Food insecurity is defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. The resources in Oglethorpe County are scarce, however, the county contains opportunities and resources to combat food insecurity.
The Little Front Porch Pantry has a “take what you need, donate what you can” policy, Nouri said.
Brewer said the pantry is in constant need of donations. She recommends food donations that are canned, tightly packaged, and “easy to fix.”
“We would like to be able to stock the shelves more often,” Brewer said.
If anyone in the county feels led to contribute food to the Little Front Porch Pantry, donations can be left on the front porch on the large steel storage unit.
In addition to No. 3 Railroad Street, Lexington Baptist Church features a Mobile Food Ministry.
The Mobile Food Ministry is facilitated on the second Monday of each month and is first-come, first-serve, starting at 3:30 p.m.. The church is partnered with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia.
To receive food from Lexington Baptist Church, recipients are asked to complete a short form and answer basic questions. The food is delivered straight to vehicles, according to its website.
Thankful Baptist Church in Stephens hosts a food truck every other month, in partnership with the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia. This month’s food truck is scheduled for 9 a.m. April 23, according to its website.
The Oglethorpe County Senior Center in Crawford offers food to anyone in need over the age of 60.
Another way to access food is through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food stamps for income-eligible households.
The Oglethorpe County Division of Family and Children Services Food Stamp Office in Lexington administers the food stamps. The SNAP program aims to reduce food insecurity and poverty.