NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — After a fire destroyed The Grove food pantry last month, people in the Oak Grove community now have a new temporary food pantry to go to— After being closed for weeks, the food pantry has opened its door at the Oak Grove Church of Christ.
Volunteers at The Grove still have a long way to go with rebuilding plans, but they have continued to move forward at their temporary location. Though they have less space and limited hours, the volunteers said they're still off to a good start.
Nick Scarbrough, one of the board members who help operate The Grove, explained that they've served over 100 people in one day.
"So that was super exciting. So we know the need is still there. We know that we're going to be able to step in," Scarbrough added.
He also added that when the pantry re-opened last Thursday, they were able to serve more than 30 families.
"Pretty much everyone who had come in there. We're like, we're so sad. We've been missing y'all, which is great. It's awesome to kind of hear those people and also to see those people that we had seen down there still come up a little bit further this way," he said.
Scarbrough said they were able to set up in an area that the church doesn't use often, which has made it the perfect spot for a temporary pantry and thrift store.
"They were gracious enough, they said, hey, we heard about what happened, we'll open it up to you guys, They pretty much gave me the key and said, whatever you need to do just do it for as long as you need to do it," he said.
He went on to explain that one of his biggest challenges has been finding enough room for donations and being able to get the word out about the new location.
"The Church of Christ is a rather large facility. They've got multiple doors, and we have a giant sign above our door. So that hopefully is helpful for people as well," he said.
Pat Battles, a volunteer, helped with the new temporary location and described how rewarding it has been to hear reactions from shoppers.
"I asked a few people. Okay, what do you think? And they would tell me what they felt when they saw the grove was burned. And then they said it's good. You have done a good job," Battles said.
Though they still need to come up with a permanent plan for the pantry, Battles said she's optimistic about what's to come.
"The new Grove will be even bigger and better," she said.
Scarbrough explained that in the next two weeks, the old Grove pantry will be torn down and then they can move forward with rebuilding plans.