As the issue of food insecurity grows, so does the support for families in need in the increasingly interconnected community of North Liberty.

During Oct. 1 ceremony, the North Liberty Community Pantry broke ground to start construction on a new $4 million facility at 350 W Penn St. in North Liberty. The facility, expected to be completed by summer 2025, will be four times as large as the existing facility, currently located at 89 N Jones Blvd.

At the event, Community Pantry Executive Director Ryan Bobst said the new facility will hopefully address an unfortunate increase in food insecurity in the area.

“We’ve unfortunately seen a dramatic increase in the need from our neighbors for food and clothing and connections to other resources,” he said. “Our current space of 2,300 square feet has been woefully inadequate to meet the needs.”

He said the new facility will be over 10,000 square feet, a planned expansion that has been in discussion for seven years. COVID-19 pandemic-related financial benefits from the federal government gave the pantry some leeway, but those have been used.

Now, the pantry is serving more families than before, making the construction of a new facility an urgent need, Bobst said.

Bobst said by building and supporting this new facility, the pantry aims to reinforce community values and fulfill important needs of North Liberty citizens.

“I believe everyone has the right to be free from hunger, and everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect,” he said. “This new facility and the Planting New Roots Campaign helped meet both of those values.”

The Planting New Roots Campaign is the financial campaign dedicated to raising money and support for the new facility and its staff.

The facility is planned to open in the summer of 2025, and work is set to begin Oct. 2. Bobst said the priority is to get the building enclosed soon so work can continue through the winter months.

He said putting the pantry at 350 W Penn St. was a community decision. The food pantry is a place of support for food-insecure residents, but to Bobst, it represents a source of community beyond its pantry services.

“The day that we decided to look for land to build a larger facility, I had about five people tell me we should look at 350 W Penn,” Bobst said. “Exploring it in the neighborhood itself puts us closer to a lot of families we serve in North Liberty and connects to the North Liberty recreational trail.”

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He said another exciting element is the Crandick Rail Line Project, which looks to put an unused railway in the area to use. The pantry would potentially be a stop along that line.

Members from various boards and committees dedicated to the Community Pantry were present and took turns breaking ground with large faux silverware. Bobst said that the growing support around the Community Pantry has resulted in its success, especially considering its beginnings as a small closet run by women of a local church in 1985.

“I think it started with a desire to feed neighbors that were hungry. And that core sense has stayed with me,” he said. “As more neighbors develop more need, we continue to grow and to meet that. And that’s what we’re doing today.”

Pantry Board Member Allison Bates said the new facility is important to the community in North Liberty now and in the future.

“This is a big step for the community of North Liberty, moving out on our own and being able to plant these roots,” Bates said. “There is a need in the community that has grown tremendously, and we want to be able to meet that need.”

She said she is happy to see the connections made at the pantry and the support for families who do not know where their next meal is coming from.

Community Pantry Board Chair Micah Ariel James spoke at the event, commemorating the pantry and its supporters for the pantry’s growth and continued success.

“I don’t know if the church members who started a small pantry in a church closet in 1985 could have imagined how the North Liberty Community Pantry grows to support the needs of our neighbors,” James said.

She said the pantry saw a 69 percent increase in families served, a 103 percent increase in food distributions, and a 454 percent increase in clothing distributions between 2021 and 2023. She said in North Liberty, the need for food services and, fortunately, the Community Pantry are growing alongside each other.

“Today, the Board is pleased to break ground on a new facility that will allow us to meet the growing needs of our community and will bring us closer to many of the families the pantry serves,” James said.