TLFP Capital Campaign Announcement

Feed My Sheep: The Campaign for The Lord’s Food Pantry

The Lord’s Food Pantry announces a capital campaign to raise $1.25 million to build a new building that will provide a long-term home for its volunteers and the clients that they serve.

The Lord’s Food Pantry was founded by the South Brunswick Interchurch Council in 1981 to help meet the needs of people in the area who did not have enough to eat. As Brunswick County has grown, the need for The Pantry’s service has grown. In 2025, The Lord’s Food Pantry served 7,971 families (29,000+ individuals) who struggle with food insecurity. That number represents a growth of over 100% in the last five years.

Having enough to eat is one of our most basic needs. Not having enough to eat – food insecurity – is a rapidly growing national issue. Hungry children have difficulty succeeding in school. Retirees on fixed incomes that are not sufficient to meet their minimum needs are challenged to maintain a basic quality of life. Adults who do not have enough to eat have greater stress levels as they try to maintain their own health and help their children grow into their potential.

In its 44-year history, The Lord’s Food Pantry operated in a variety of locations and settings, many of them cramped and less than adequate to meet the community’s needs. With the surge in people experiencing food insecurity, The Pantry’s current location does not provide the service area and storage needed to serve the ever-growing number of clients. The Lord’s Food Pantry is a completely volunteer organization that has over 250 volunteers. In January 2026, the pantry served 804 family units that included 785 children, 1,299 adults, and 625 seniors.

The Pantry is seeking to raise $1.25 million to build an approximately 8,500 square foot building that will provide a long-term home. With a generous private gift, The Pantry has acquired the land on which to build that new home and raised over $500,000 towards its goal. The Pantry is now raising the money from individuals, businesses, foundations, and the community at large to complete the funding needed with the goal of occupying the new facility by the middle of 2027.

The Lord’s Food Pantry Board of Directors Chair, Mike Claxton said, “We are seeing dramatic growth in our community of those who suffer from food insecurity. In January we served 804 families – that is a 26% increase over January 2025! One resident in seven in our community now is at risk from food insecurity, and we are determined to meet that growing need. It is our belief that having this new space will not only provide better service but also provide a sense of stability and safety for our clients and our volunteers.”