Box Elder Community Pantry

Our pantry was started in 1969 in a closet at the Box Elder County Courthouse. When local churches or law enforcement came across emergency food situations, they would call us. A volunteer would meet the person in need at the courthouse and give him or her a box of food. In the past 40+ years, we have expanded into a facility of over 5,500 square feet, including a warehouse and grocery store. Though our facility has grown, our vision remains the same: to have no family in Box Elder County with food insecurity.

We are a customer choice pantry, allowing people to choose their goods based on a nutritional point system. This provides the experience of shopping at a grocery store, eliminates waste, and helps our customers make healthy choices. We also participate in the Grocery Rescue program. Through this program, we go to grocery stores and distribution centers in our community and pick up still-good products being pulled from the shelves. Additionally, we encourage gardeners in Box Elder County to "Grow a Row" in their gardens for our customers.

We strive to offer holistic solutions to the needs of our community. To do this, we engage in creative partnerships. For example:

 

• We are a Department of Workforce Services site, allowing us to help customers file for food stamps, unemployment insurance, myCase, Medicaid, etc. A specialist is on hand to help guide each person through this process.

 

• We participate in the BackPack program. A program that provides children with nutritious, easy-to-prepare food items, to help them make it through the weekend or during school breaks.

 

• We are certified first responders through "Be Ready Utah," enabling us to meet the needs of our community in the event of a disaster.

 

• We refer our customers to other resources in our community to meet their needs during times of food insecurity.

 

• We cooperate with other food pantries throughout the state of Utah by spreading any donated surplus around, to help eliminate food insecurities statewide.