Hancock County Food Pantry
The Hancock County Food Pantry is a state chartered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1986 by area churches. The Pantry’s mission is to provide food and personal hygiene products for low income families living in Hancock County, MS who have an immediate “crisis or emergency” need for the assistance we can provide. A typical client is someone living on a fixed income or out of work, who may be living at or below the poverty level, and unable to provide food for themselves or their family.
The Hancock County Food Pantry is the only full-time food pantry in Hancock County, MS and is currently open on Tuesday and Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, except holidays, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Food Pantry is operated entirely by volunteers – there is no paid staff. Over 94% of the donations received are spent to provide food to those in need.
Hurricane Katrina destroyed the county-owned building that served as the Food Pantry’s operations center on August 29, 2005. The Pantry resumed operation on February 1, 2006, in a temporary facility owned by the Hope Haven Center for Abused Children at 716 Herlihy Street in Waveland, MS.
In February 2007, the Hancock County Board of Supervisors designated a piece of county-owned property on Highway 603 for the construction of a new building for the Pantry. The Bucks-Mont Katrina Relief Project, based in Pennsylvania, raised over $300,000 and constructed a new building for the Pantry on this site. The Food Pantry began operations in this new facility on February 2, 2009.
The Hancock County Food Pantry is the only full-time food pantry in Hancock County, MS and is currently open on Tuesday and Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, except holidays, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Food Pantry is operated entirely by volunteers – there is no paid staff. Over 94% of the donations received are spent to provide food to those in need.
Hurricane Katrina destroyed the county-owned building that served as the Food Pantry’s operations center on August 29, 2005. The Pantry resumed operation on February 1, 2006, in a temporary facility owned by the Hope Haven Center for Abused Children at 716 Herlihy Street in Waveland, MS.
In February 2007, the Hancock County Board of Supervisors designated a piece of county-owned property on Highway 603 for the construction of a new building for the Pantry. The Bucks-Mont Katrina Relief Project, based in Pennsylvania, raised over $300,000 and constructed a new building for the Pantry on this site. The Food Pantry began operations in this new facility on February 2, 2009.
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_What We Do
The Hancock County Food Pantry currently provides free food once every 30 days to any family living in Hancock County, MS that comes to us for help as long as their income level is below the poverty level as defined by the MS TEFAP program. This assistance is intended as a supplement since the amount of food the Food Pantry provides will usually help a family for only a couple of weeks. The Food Pantry serves all families that come for help regardless of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, religion, disability or national origin. Since opening its doors in 1986, the Food Pantry has provided free food to over 322,000 individuals during 142,000 family visits. During 2021 the Hancock County Food Pantry spent $308,426 purchasing non-perishable food from three local grocers and also received 37,445 lbs of free USDA food from the MS TEFAP program, 38,203 lbs of donated food from the local community and 223,575 lbs of recovered food from a local retail grocer and two nearby military commissaries and redistributed all of this free food at no cost to 6,464 low income families in need. |
_How You Can Help!
With the continued large number of families needing assistance from the Hancock County Food Pantry and the increased purchased food cost (2021 purchased food cost per family was triple the cost in 2004), the Food Pantry depends on continuing support from the community. Over the last several years financial contributions from the community (churches, civic groups, businesses and individuals) provided approximately 50% of the Food Pantry’s total income. Donated food from community food drives is also important to our ability to help families. In 2021, the Food Pantry received 38,203 lbs of donated food from the local community including 12,577 lbs from individuals, 9,560 lbs from businesses, 3,304 lbs from churches and 1,285 lbs from civic groups. About 35% of all food items the Hancock County Food Pantry currently provides to families is donated or recovered food received from all sources. If you would like to join in supporting the Hancock County Food Pantry, please see the “Supporting the Pantry” section of this website on how to make a financial donation or host a food drive. |
