After more than a month of uncertainty, the food pantry that helps feed neighbors in need in the Glenwood neighborhood is back in action.
On July 29, Food Not Bombs GSO posted an update on social media that showed two new fridges in operation at the old Glenwood United Methodist Building. This comes after the city abruptly removed multiple fridges and other supplies Food Not Bombs was using in mid-June.
At the time, a crew of city employees arrived at the site—owned by the city—without warning and dismantled the food pantry, which had been in place since 2022. In addition to eight fridges, food and serving supplies were also trashed. Afterwards, the city posted a highly criticized statement on its official Facebook page saying unsanitary conditions and pests at the site made the removal necessary.
The response from the community was swift. Angry calls poured into city offices, and comments condemning the city’s actions proliferated on the Facebook post. They cited the city’s longstanding underinvestment from the Glenwood neighborhood, a predominantly working-class area historically made up of Black and brown families.
The city could have communicated better and given proper warning to the organization before dismantling the pantry, some city officials have said since.
“True, in the beginning, communication could have been done a little bit better,” said City Council Member Sharon Hightower, who represents the area, in a Tuesday interview. “We recognized that and we apologized for that.”
Since the pantry was dismantled on June 10, members of Food Not Bombs GSO have been in conversation with city and county officials, who helped to replace the supplies and donated new ones. Now the pantry is operating again at the same location as before.
“We feel so grateful for the full community effort and support in getting us back in business,” the organization posted on social media. “And we are honored to be able to continue extending that support to our pantry visitors and dinner guests.”
Both members of the city and officials from the Guilford County Cooperative Extension were involved in the reopening of the pantry, Hightower said. The city’s concerns about cleanliness and food safety have been resolved with the donation of new fridges and an increase in volunteers, she said.
“All of our goals were to make sure that we are serving those residents who need it the greatest,” Hightower said. “We found that path forward.”
Food Not Bombs could not be reached on Tuesday. But according to Hightower, many of the group’s demands appear to have been met by the city.
But further changes to the pantry may be coming. In the next month or so, the city will put out a request for proposals to sell the property, which it has owned since 2023. Maintaining some sort of food access at the site will be part of the request, Hightower said.
While that may not look like the current pantry run by Food Not Bombs, Hightower said she understands the need for a pantry in the Glenwood neighborhood.
In addition to running the pantry, Food Not Bombs provides free meals to neighbors every Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the site. They are continuing to take volunteers to help cook meals and maintain the pantry.
“We want to make sure that whoever is going to purchase it knows there is a community relationship there and a food pantry currently there,” Hightower said. “And that the space is needed to allow that to continue. The intent is to make sure the community has some space on that site for food access.”
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‘It Takes a Village’ to Dismantle a Food Pantry
The City of Greensboro eliminated a neighborhood food pantry that had problems with cleanliness, drawing rats and insects. The community it fed says they should have worked with them to solve the problems.
Sayaka Matsuoka is a Greensboro-based reporter for The Assembly. She was formerly the managing editor for Triad City Beat.
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