Hanover Food Pantry Faces Closure
The Hanover Outreach Center is facing eviction from the Hanover Junior-Senior High School. Its director, Teresa Kemp, said that would most likely mean the food pantry would have to close for good.
Kemp has volunteered with the food pantry since it moved onto the school’s property in 2002. She said there have not been any security issues and she has not heard of any complaints. She said she thinks the pantry is being forced out for no good reason.
The outreach center serves about 230 families every month, according to Kemp. She said she gets about 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of food donated from Care & Share Food Bank every month.
The outreach center is only allowed to get those donations because it is located on commercial property. Kemp fears that if it is forced to move, volunteers would lose Care & Share donations and be unable to serve the Hanover community.
Kemp said her volunteers have taken every precaution not to disturb students and the school district. She said the center is only open to the public on Sundays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. so that traffic is at a minimum during the school week.
She said the center cannot afford to move and without a compromise with the school district, it will have to close at the end of July.
The Hanover Superintendent Paul McCarty said that what this boils down to is resources. The school district needs to make sure to use every available penny on students, rather than the food pantry.
He said school officials are more than willing to work with the food pantry to keep it operating. The school has even discussed donating land to the outreach center.
McCarty said he is hopeful that a compromise can be reached. He said there is a definite need in the Hanover community.
Kemp said the center will continue to operate, in the meantime.
She has organized a dinner and auction fundraiser that is taking place on April 28 at Holt and Associates, 6314 E. Platte Avenue. The dinner starts at 3 p.m. and the auction starts at 6:30 p.m. It costs $10 per adult and $5 per child 12 years old and younger.
Pantry volunteers plan to meet with school board members to discuss their options on May 2 at the Hanover Junior-Senior High School. The meeting is open to the public and starts at 6:30 p.m.
