There is a saying, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

I hope this holds true for the city of Vicksburg. Times are tough for the Storehouse Community Food Pantry. The deadline for the non-profit to vacate the facility at Good Shepherd where they have been renting is Nov. 1.

“The pantry,” as my sister-in-law, who has been a dedicated volunteer there for many years, calls it, has been renting space at Good Shepherd since moving there in 2018 after a wall collapsed on a building they had been using at Crawford Street United Methodist Church.

And while the space at Good Shepherd has been a God send as a great space to distribute food to those less fortunate in the community, “the pantry” must move because Good Shepherd is expanding their preschool and after care program.

In other words – there will be “no room at the inn.”

Ideally, I have been told, the group would like to find a space they could purchase, to avoid anymore relocations, but funding is very limited since much of their money goes toward the purchase of food supplies.

In a story I wrote earlier this year, Bill Mounger, who is also an active volunteer at “the pantry,” said, “Since we do not have a guaranteed ongoing source of funds, such a purchase would leave us without funds to purchase groceries, pay insurance, maintenance, etc.”

An alternative would be to find another space to rent, but it could not exceed their resources.

Mounger said the average monthly expenses for the Store House Community Food pantry range from $4,500 to $5,000, with the bulk of the money going for the groceries purchased for distribution, but these amounts also include rent paid to the Good Shepherd and the cost of an alarm system and any necessary maintenance.

To operate efficiently and effectively, Mounger said, a space for “the pantry,” would need to have at least 2,000 square feet, be centrally located and accessible to clients, have parking for volunteers and if possible, drive-thru capabilities.

Since the first of July, “the pantry” has provided 2,856 meals, and with increases in gas and food, those numbers will certainly increase throughout the year.

Two months – just two short months are left for “the pantry” to not only find a new home, but to also go through the process of packing up and relocating.

The clock is ticking for “the pantry,” so we all need to get tough and figure out a way to help before time runs out and folks are left hungry.