After nearly two years in a temporary location, the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry and Clothes Closet is officially getting a new permanent home at 916 First St., according to a news release from the food pantry and the city of Batavia.
Batavia Interfaith is set to move from its temporary location at 431 N. Raddant Road to the new location in Batavia at the end of September. The new facility will be open to clients starting Oct. 1, the news release said.
The food pantry was founded in 1981 by area churches, according to the pantry. The nonprofit organization added a clothes closet in the 1990s.
Both the food pantry and clothes closet operated out of the pantry’s former location at 100 Flinn St. in Batavia in a building provided by the city for several decades, the release said. But, as services grew, the pantry needed a bigger space.
Then, with help from U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, the city was awarded a $3 million federal grant for 2023 to relocate the food pantry and clothes closet to a larger location.
But, amid the search for the new location, the food pantry had to move temporarily in October 2023, as the building at 100 Flinn St. was set to be torn down due to the city’s wastewater treatment plant upgrade project, according to past reporting.
The city ultimately purchased the First Street building where the pantry is moving to in 2024, the news release said.
Compared to the temporary location’s roughly 8,500 square feet, the new space for the pantry comes in at around 14,000 square feet, the release noted, with offices, expanded storage, upgraded electrical service for additional refrigeration and a loading dock and drive-in docks for deliveries.
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“We are always humbled by the way Batavians rally to help their neighbors,” Eileen Pasero, executive director of the Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry and Clothes Closet, said in the release. “This new facility will enable us to better meet the needs of our community, providing a shopping experience that centers on dignity and respect for all who visit us.”
The food pantry and clothes closet serves more than 1,300 individuals each month, according to the organization. Of those it serves, 35% are children and 12% are seniors.
The majority of the food it gives out comes from food rescue efforts, with other food coming from community donations and food drives, per the food pantry.
In addition to the opening on Oct. 1, the organization is also launching a new website and logo.
The food pantry and clothes closet’s current hours of operation will not be changing once the new location debuts. It will be open from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m. to noon Fridays, per its website.
Individuals looking to shop from the pantry can do so by calling 630-879-3784 to make an appointment, signing up online or getting a walk-in slot, per the food pantry’s website. The organization’s services are open to anyone living in Batavia or Batavia Township.
Clients can use the pantry once a month after they have been certified, the news release noted. And all clients can come during the last half hour the pantry is open to get produce and bakery items.