MOUNT VERNON — Two pop-up food pantries in November offered a taste of goodwill and hope for Knox County families and volunteers.

When the Sept. 30 government shutdown dragged into mid-October, Knox County SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients risked losing their November benefits.

Knox County SNAP recipients risk losing benefits starting Nov. 1

by Cheryl SplainOctober 25, 2025

 Food For The Hungry of Knox County (FFTH), Interchurch Social Services of Knox County (ISS), and Knox County Foundation (KCF) partnered to organize the pop-up pantries to help families in need.

ISS Director Carolyn Fergus had already seen an increase in food pantry visitors in 2025. In 2022, ISS’ pantry served nearly 200 families each month. That number rose to over 700 families each month in 2025. 

Recognizing that the SNAP postponement would significantly impact the community, Fergus started planning a response: pop-up food pantries. Lisa Lloyd of the KCF and Austin Swallow of FFTH agreed to join the effort.

Fergus ordered bulk food from the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, Lloyd recruited volunteers, and Swallow helped with organizational tasks and marketing efforts. The plan for a Nov. 1 pop-up pantry came to fruition. 

Mid-Ohio delivered a large truck of food to ISS on Oct. 16. Volunteers from KCF were ready to load pick-up trucks with the food to take it to the pop-up location donated by Habitat for Humanity. Cold items were stored in Church on the Rise’s freezers until Nov. 1.

The pantry would provide three meals a day, for three days, for each person in a family. 

An early opening

At 8 a.m. on Nov. 1, dozens of volunteers gathered to prepare the pantry. Some came on their own, while others volunteered in groups. Knox Community Hospital, Knox Public Health, Kenyon College, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, and Behavioral Healthcare Partners were among the organizations represented.

The volunteers quickly organized everything, and people who needed food started lining up at 8:30 a.m., even though the pantry was not scheduled to open until 10 a.m.

The pantry opened at 9 a.m., and by 10 a.m., volunteers had served nearly 100 people.

Recipients told the check-in desk the number of people in their household, and then were given a grocery cart to walk through the distribution line. Volunteers offered each recipient an item from their food pallets: juice, peanut butter, cereal, freezer meals, and more.

The pantry served more than 200 households. 

Volunteers rise to the occasion again

Following a quick celebration of the pantry’s success, Fergus, Lloyd, and Swallow began planning another for Nov. 22.

Volunteers from the Mount Vernon Probation Office and the Knox County Chapter of the Byron Saunders Foundation helped unload a large truck of food a week before the pantry.

Church on the Rise again volunteered its refrigerators and freezers to store cold items until the distribution. Center of Hope offered a large load of produce, eggs, and milk, and IPT America offered its warehouse.

On a crisp and sunny November morning, volunteers again assembled for the pantry.

IPT America’s warehouse enabled volunteers to assemble large and small boxes of food inside the warehouse. Others manned the produce section outside.

People filled the parking lot by 9 a.m. for the scheduled 10 a.m. start time. By 9:30 a.m., people were receiving food.

After households checked in, they chose produce and then pulled their cars around to pick up their food boxes.

As cars pulled up for their food, they told Fergus or Swallow the size of their family or whether multiple households were riding in the same car.

Fergus or Swallow called out the size of the box needed, and volunteers brought out the correct amount of food and loaded it into the car. The pantry served around 150 families in need, and each volunteer felt the pantry was well worth the effort.

“They showed the best of our county,” Swallow said when asked about the pop-up pantries. “So many volunteers, all willing to do whatever. Two different styles of pantries, but equally gracious hosts. Everyone we called to help said yes. Everyone.”

The pop-up food pantries were a taste of goodwill and hope for Knox County, not just for the families in need, but for the volunteers and people who need a reminder that good things are happening in this world. 

by Food for the Hungry December 3, 2025