By Anthony Gorges
JC Post
The Geary County Food Pantry opened its doors to the public for the first time on Thursday. Despite work still being done, guests are able to access the available foods. The new building address is 700A W. 7th St. in Junction City.
Julia Loper, the President of the Board for the Geary County Food Pantry, indicated that they are thrilled to be in their new building, but the project is not finished. “We are open to serve our neighbors at our new location, but there is still work being done to our facility,” Loper said.
The new building, built by Hutton Construction, is 3,800 square feet. The new building is more than double the size of their previous space. The former location at 138 W. 3rd St. in Junction City (which is now officially closed) was approximately 1,500 square feet.
Debbie Johns, the Director of the Geary County Food Pantry, said the support of the community has been tremendous. “We are so excited to finally be open and be able to serve our neighbors in the community,” Johns said. “We have been so overwhelmed by our community’s support and are so thankful for their help with moving, donations, and constant support throughout this process.”
Despite now having their doors open to their “neighbors”, work will continue on the building. Miscellaneous projects such as landscaping work, work on the freezers, and trim on the inside of the building remain ongoing.
Hours of operation remain the same for the Geary County Food Pantry.
Hours of operation are listed below.
Mondays and Thursdays – 10:30 a.m. - Noon
Tuesdays – 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Fresh Food Friday’s – 9:45 a.m.
A formal grand opening and ribbon-cutting will be held during the late summer or early fall months.
** All photos courtesy of the Geary County Food Pantry.