A community resource for people experiencing food insecurity and housing instability in Utah, Summit and Wasatch counties has closed one of its pantry locations.
Community Action Services and Food Bank’s Springville pantry had been operating out of the Early Learning Essentials facility in the city.
The nonprofit learning facility provided roughly 500- to- 600 square feet of space for the pantry’s operations over the past few years, according to Tom Hogan, the CEO for Community Action Services and Food Bank.
Hogan said Friday that due to transition in operations and repurposing of space at Early Learning Essentials’ Springville facility, there would no longer be space for the food pantry.
“They have a lease on a building in downtown Provo that the state owns, and the state notified them that they’re going to reclaim that property,” Hogan explained. “And so it just kind of moves downhill.”
Hogan said the Springville food pantry has helped hundreds of families with access to food items each month.
“The community really supported us, and when we moved into the space, the Kiwanis Club helped with volunteers,” he said.
Hogan said while losing the Springville pantry is unfortunate, Community Action Services remains committed to serving those facing challenging circumstances.
Its Provo pantry has expanded its hours of operation to accommodate more people later into the evening seeking needed services, something that Hogan said many people who utilized the Springville pantry found useful.
“So (that’s) one of the things that we kept from our services in Springville is we kept Provo open on Wednesday nights to try and have compatible service,” he explained.
Hogan said the organization plans to continue its partnership with the Springville Kiwanis Club through its annual Christmas food drive. Community Action Services hopes to find another facility in Springville to open a future food pantry.
While he said it wasn’t ideal to close the current pantry without a new space, Hogan notes that it’ll likely take some time to find a new home that fits into its budget and meets the needs of the community.
“So we’re going to have to do a little bit of (watching) the area in Springville and make a move when we can (to) get back into the area,” he said.
In the meantime, Hogan encourages families and individuals dealing with food insecurity to visit its locations in either Provo, Heber City, Coalville or Oakley, in Summit County.