Glen Alpine Food Pantry starts 2025 with new grants, seeks community support
Beginning its eighth year of operation, Glen Alpine Food Pantry, Inc. (GAFP) has secured multiple significant grants to strengthen its mission of providing approximately 1,000 weekly food boxes to over 350 low-income food insecure families each month in Burke County.
The organization has recently received several substantial grants:
- $18,000 from The Community Foundation of Western NC for sustaining and expanding services
- $10,000 from Gateway Wellness Foundation for fighting food insecurity
- $5,000 from Gateway Wellness Foundation for disaster response
- $5,000 from the J. Alex and Vivian G. Mull Foundation Charitable Fund for space stewardship
Glen Alpine Food Pantry is at 410 Linville St. in Glen Alpine.
The Community Foundation of Western NC is a nonprofit serving 18 counties in western North Carolina. The Foundation is a permanent regional resource that facilitated $34 million in charitable giving last year.
CFWNC inspires philanthropy and mobilizes resources to enrich lives and communities in western North Carolina.
Gateway Wellness Foundation, established in 2019, has distributed over $8 million to serve Burke, McDowell, Polk, and Rutherford counties, focusing on community health and wellbeing.
The J. Alex and Vivian G. Mull Foundation Charitable Fund continues its multi-year support of GAFP’s humanitarian efforts in North Carolina.
“These grants represent a significant investment in our community’s food security,” said Linda Schmickle, grant writer for the pantry. “As an all-volunteer organization, every dollar goes directly to serving our neighbors in need.”
GAFP operates as a partnership of seven local churches: Glen Alpine United Methodist, First Baptist of Glen Alpine, Praise Assembly, Gibbs Chapel Wesleyan Church, Faith Missionary Baptist, St. Paul’s Episcopal at Lake James, and Crosslink-Carbon City.
GAFP collaborates with numerous agencies, individuals, and businesses and is a partner agency of Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina.
HOW TO HELP
GAFP is actively seeking:
- New church and organizational partners
- Board of Director candidates for February elections
- Additional volunteers, including a Food Pantry Director
Ways to contribute:
- Food Donations: Drop off 30 minutes before serving times or by appointment
- Monetary Donations: Mail to Glen Alpine Food Pantry, Inc., P.O. Box 7, Glen Alpine, NC 28628
- Volunteer: A variety of tasks on different days are needed to accomplish the work of the pantry (see contact information below)
- Organize a Food Drive: Churches, businesses, and schools are invited to participate
The pantry serves Burke County residents through a car line on Tuesday evenings from 6-8 p.m. and Fridays from noon to 2 p.m. at Glen Alpine UMC, 410 Linville St., Glen Alpine.
Glen Alpine Food Pantry, Inc. is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting food insecurity in Burke County through community partnerships and volunteer service. For more information, email glenalpinefoodpantryinc@gmail.com or call 828-391-9095.
Saydie Bean may be reached at 828-445-8595, ext. 2011, or saydie@thepaper.media.
